The Poisoned Barb's Tale

by ManlyDerp

First published 27th of March, 2015

[Sequel Story] A mother, reborn into the mirrored world of her daughter's bygone years, desperately tries to find purpose in her second childhood. This is Barbara's diary.

Prequel reading is recommended to enjoy

I was once a woman in her twilight. I was once a mother and a wife. I was once a respected human being. I was once unquestionably happy.

Now I am Barbara The Dragoness; property of House Shine, Squire to Prince Solaris, Assistant to Apprentice Dusk Shine...

and master of my own fate.

This is the story of my second childhood, and how I found the strength to keep moving forward.

Welcome to my new life.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Art was used with blessing from Asika-Aida (Aida) of deviantart!

Entry 1, Part 1 (Heart)

“... Grrrr…”

In the hustle and bustle of a typical Canterlot day, a young stallion grumbled loudly to himself as he huffily stomped his hooves against the hard cobblestone road. This unicorn with the bright purple coat is uncaring of those around him as he roughly wades his way through the busy crowd of equines, trying to get to his destination. Another growl emanates from his throat, through his clenched teeth, as he continues to fume.

“Heheh,” cheekily giggled his equally bright (in more ways than one) purple scaled dragon assistant in response. The same one that kept pace beside him, and who offered apologetic smiles to the unfortunate ponies her taller friend bumped into along the way.

This dragon, who would rather like for you to use the term dragoness to describe her, is affectionately referred to by me, your narrator for the evening, as… well…

… me!

Hello!

Silliness and third person antics aside, as the two of us walk together down the sunny roads of Canterlot, unintentionally basking in the beautiful weather around us, another bout of chuckles escapes my lips as I watch my friend once again growl angrily over the supposed ‘injustice’ of it all.

“You’re going to ruin your voice if you keep doing that, Dusk,” I had to remind the colt for a third time, though I do so in just as much good cheer. My smile never leaves my face, nor does the spring abandon my step. They have no reason to, for today is going to be a good day for sure. I just knew it!

“I’ll pout if I want to,” my not so little unicorn rumbles grumpily to himself as we draw closer to the Sky Carriage loading docks, ready to take ours to Ponyville just in time for the holiday known as the Summer Sun Celebration. Finally arriving on the wooden platform, the song on my lips and the laugh in my heart never wavers as I continue to stand by the grouch better known as my best friend and wait patiently for our ride to arrive.

For those of you unaware, my starburst cutie mark adorned partner here’s name is Dusk Shine; apprentice to Prince Solaris himself. He’s the smartest and most powerful unicorn you’ll ever come across, guaranteed...

... Granted this might depend on whether or not your own section of the multiverse even has unicorns in the first place... but I digress.

Dusk, though smart as a whip, and capable of crazy powerful magic, is not quite a mature young adult yet, unfortunately. Instead he’s just a teenager; one who, as per the norm with such an age group, thinks he knows better than everypony else.

… Er… Well, truthfully speaking, this is actually often correct... but not always! For instance; because this pony has lived here in his hometown of Canterlot his whole life, never leaving its borders until today, and because of his dangerous addiction to the drug known as literature, Dusk has no friends. Zero, none, nada… well except for me, his loyal assistant, of course (though he never says it), and his big sister as well. Beyond that, however, I think that the only other ponies this kid ever talks to on a regular basis are his parents, his mentor, and his breakfast donut provider.

Sad.

Back on subject; it’s this loner status of Dusk’s that is now acting as the source of his anger today, as it's one of the many reasons why he is currently throwing a big old hissy fit as we speak. I suppose I shouldn’t be all high and mighty about it though, speaking honestly. I do fully understand his frustrations when it comes with dealing with that particular pony and his tricks.

Said pony is, of course, the ancient Prince Solaris of Equestria.

Backing up now for explanations sake; Solaris is Dusk’s aforementioned mentor, and as his mentor he plays the important role of educating Dusk in the art of magic. Now then, Dusk is a exceptionally good student, one who prides himself in being able to think outside the box and to get to the root of a problem quickly. He loves to not only finish the tasks given to him to the letter, but also show his mentor that he can accomplish things on his own. It’s because of these qualities of his that this young pony was indescribably excited to share with his teacher today his discovery that the legendary Nightterror might be returning tonight; tonight, on the one thousandth anniversary of the Summer Sun Celebration! Gasp! No question about it, that’s a really big deal!

… Thusly then, in understanding this, you can probably now imagine Dusk’s confusion and frustration when he, after having me write out in length his hypothesis to the Prince directly, received a message from Solaris which basically amounted to him laughing him off, claiming that he reads too many books, and then proceeding to tell him that he needs to get out more and make some friends!

Absolutely hilarious! Doubly so when you consider that the Nighterror is actually Solaris’ long lost brother that nopony knows about! Ha! And another fun thing, secretly Solaris and I both know that Dusk is actually one hundred percent correct in his paranoid delusions today! The Nightterror is going to return tonight! Eternal darkness, Elements of Harmony; the whole shebang! Ha!

Don’t spoil the surprise by telling it to Dusk yet though! Please! He needs to experience it all naturally if he is to receive his destiny.

… That and, though I’m embarrassed in admitting it...

… it’s actually really, really funny watching Dusk squirm! Hehe! Maybe Prince Solaris is on to something with all the games he likes to play with people and ponies’ heads…

...

… Oh! Where are my manners? You must be wondering who in the world I am, and especially so now after I’ve just gone ahead and revealed all those juicy little future secrets for you! Sorry about that, dears.

Allow me to introduce myself properly.

Ahem... Hello! My name is Barbara The Dragoness; property of House Shine, Squire to Prince Solaris, and Assistant to Apprentice Dusk Shine over there. I’m seven and a half years old today, and I’m a cute little purple and green baby dragoness! I like emeralds, romance novels, occasionally dressing pretty, and writing; I can speak and write in two completely different languages! I can also cook, organize, and clean a library like it’s nopony’s business! With these skills at my disposal, I have happily been assisting Dusk Shine in his studies and life for the last two years of my own short life thus far! Two whole years...

… oh, and I used to be human.

In more detail; I used to be Barbara D. Burns, a forty year old housewife and the loving mother of two beautiful children.

That’s kinda a big detail.

‘Used to be’ are sadly the key words on that particular subject though. A car accident about eight years ago ended those carefree days of mine quite prematurely, and resulted in me inhabiting the body I’m in right now. How, you may ask? Well notice how I said that the accident happened about eight years ago, yet I’m only seven? I’m afraid that is the magic of reincarnation, my friends; the ultimate destination of a departed soul. No Heavens, no Hells, not even a Purgatory; what lies beyond the veil of life is only more life, it would seem. Specifically new life, in a new form, in a new land. In my case it wasn’t just any old land either. The day I hatched into my second life was the day I found myself becoming a part of the realm we’re in right now. Equestria, the land of magical ponies; located on the planet Equus and ruled over by the sun god himself Prince Solaris… Though that title belonged to another pony back on my original homeworld of Earth.

It belonged to a fictional mare known as Princess Celestia.

You might be even more confused now. Let me explain; Equestria was actually part of an old cartoon series that I used to watch alongside my daughter back when I was still an adult woman and a mother. The series, called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, took place here in this land and revolved around the lives of ten uniquely interesting characters; interesting because two of them were Dusk and I!

The Dusk and Barbara featured on that show though aren’t the same two people you’re currently listening to me explain about right now, however... We don’t even share the same chromosomes!

Dusk’s counterpart on the cartoon I will never allow him to be aware of was an equally brilliant and smart pony named Twilight Sparkle, a mare, and mine was a drake named Spike. Obviously I didn’t know I would one day be taking over his life when I watched that show with my little Ashley ages ago, but I’m glad that I still remember the cartoon at all after all this time! Things tend to fade away after almost twenty years of not thinking about it, but in at least remembering how events took place, and knowing exactly where they head, I should be fine in simply surviving through this life. I’ve done much more then that though; thus far I've been successfully able to steer Dusk right on towards the path that will take him to his happy little destiny today.

... I’ve also been able to, during my short time here, take control of this new life of mine as well, and find my own source of happiness within it, all while constantly fighting against the personal sorrows and regrets that comes from being forced to remember an entire other life. It hasn’t always been easy...

But that’s another story entirely.

“... Grrr… They’re late,” Dusk suddenly moans again, knocking me out of my thoughts.

I roll my eyes at this, returning to the present. “I think the guardmares have better things to do then to cart your flank around, Dusk,” I chastise him in my admittedly high-pitched and girly voice. It’s not really a befitting one for a woman such as my old self to have, but I’ve since grown used to it just as I have with the rest of this childish body of mine. When it’s all you have to work with you tend to be more accepting of such things. “Be nicer!” I add for good measure.

The pony continues to sulk. ‘Good grief,’ I contemplate as I absentmindedly adjust my frilly purse over my shoulder. The scrolls and tome within it shift as I do, though I pay them no mind. ‘Dusk can be such a big foal sometimes.’

He reminds me a bit of my and my husband's son in that regard. Nathaniel was always so clever and smart, but would often get grumpy like this when things didn’t go his way. Our daughter Ashley, on the other han-

“Attttttention!!”

At the surprise voice’s command, I hurriedly draw myself up straight in a snap and hold myself firm in the face of it. I remain as still as a statue as I listen carefully to the familiar sound of hooves clipping and clopping noisily against the ground; as the source drew closer to us.

“Soldier!” the voice cries out to me, pacing back and forth where I could not see. “Am I to believe that your prime Charge is about to leave Canterlot today?”

“Ma’am yes ma’am!” I bark immediately, raising a claw to my forehead and saluting the pony who I can't see but knew was watching.

“And are you following him out as well on this grand expedition?”

“Ma’am yes ma’am!” I repeat, holding myself up firmer.

“And I have your word that you will watch over him and do your all to protect him from harm, soldier?!"

“Ma’am yes ma’am!” I declare one final time with passion, puffing my tiny bare chest out. The mare from behind me then circles to my front, bends down low in order to glare me in the eyes…

… and then Gleaming Shield proceeds to gently noogie the top of my head with a white coated hoof.

“Good girl,” Dusk’s older sister compliments me kindly, smiling brightly. I relax soon after as well, and allow a smile of my own to grace my lips as I passively straighten out my noogied spines. Meet Gleaming Shield. Captain of the Royal Guard, Dusk’s BSBFF (Big Sister Best Friend Forever, for those of you who don’t know. Even I forget at times), and one of the two and a half friends I’ve made here in this world thus far.

The half belongs to Prince Solaris but that, like my struggles, is again another story entirely.

“Hey Dusty,” the shield cutie mark baring unicorn mare calls out her little brother’s nickname affectionately. “Why the long face, pony?”

Putting his angst on hold, Dusk finally turns around and acknowledges his sister’s existence. He did so with a sigh and a small flip of his purple and pink striped mane. “Oh. Hey, BSBFF,” he mournfully replies.

“I really wish you’d call me something else,” Gleaming was quick to state with a good-natured laugh. Whipping her own twin blue mane side to side with a shake of her head, the mare shoots her brother a cheeky smirk. “The BS part was cute and all when you were a little colt, Dusty, but now… Not so much!”

I soon snicker slightly under my breath as well, joining her, but Dusk still refuses to add in to our merriment. In seeing this, Gleaming’s expression grows concerned. She takes a step away from me and approaches the young stallion with a sympathetic look.

“Bit for your thoughts, little bro?”

Though he glances at his sister momentarily, the younger unicorn simply turns away and resumes staring at the ground.

“Oh nothing nothing,” he attempts to joke, a fake “ha” being uttered as well under his breath. “We’re all just about to freeze to death due to an extremely extended night cycle but that’s no reason to be concerned! Nope, not at fluffing all apparently!”

Gleaming blinks at this.

She then looks back to me.

“Prince Solaris didn’t listen to him about Nightterror Nebula possibly returning tonight,” I translates Dusk’s rant for her with a shrug.

The mare’s lips form into an O shape as she mulls this over, only to then turn back to her brother. “Dusk,” she attempts to sooth. “I may not know a whole lot about ancient history or prophecy stuff like you’re fond of, but I do know that the Nightterror is just an old ponies’ tale; one designed by parents to lower the amount of Nightterror Night candy their foals eat…” Pausing, the mare then turns to me. “... I didn’t just ruin the mystique of that for you, did I?”

“My foalhood is now in shambles,” I reply with a straight face.

“Hmm," she contemplates, rubbing her chin. "I see… Would a sapphire possibly undo the damage?”

I shrug again.

“We can only hope.”

Twinkletwinkle

Igniting her horn in a pink glow, and sticking her tongue out in concentration, Gleaming rummages around for a moment in her off-duty saddlebags before finding a single sapphire and depositing it into my outstretched claws. “Consider this my donation for the ‘relief’ effort then, Barb.”

“Your patriotism is most appreciated, soldier,” I snark right back before digging into the gemstone with gusto. Don’t judge me. I’m a growing baby dragoness here, remember? Over my jaw’s noisy crunches, I continue to listen in on the sibling’s conversation.

“Is Prince Solaris the reason why you’re heading to Ponyville then, Dusk?” the loving sister asks casually.

“Sigh… Yeah, Gleam,” reluctantly admits the unhappy brother. “He frustratingly gave Barb and I the day off from his lessons, so he could focus on the festivities... and now he also wants us to personally check in on the preparations down there as well! He... h-he also wants me to… to…”

I swiftly swallow my snack.

“Make some friends!” I chirp happily with a big, fang (and probably gem dust) filled grin plastered to my face.

Gleaming couldn’t help but snort at this.

“Oh the horror!”

A second wave of snickers then consumes the two of us, and again the sole stallion of our group refuses to cooperate. Instead he shoots us both a dirty look.

“This is serious you two!” he shouts, making me feel a little guilty for my behavior. He is acting a bit like a child throwing a tantrum right now, in typical Canterlot snob fashion, but I still feel that it's appropriate to stop laughing... at least for now. In sensing her brother’s frustration herself, the elder unicorn with us slowly stops her own giggles. Gleaming remains smiling, but she decides to no longer provoke the poor stubborn colt.

“Relax, Dusty,” she says, stepping forward and rubbing her hoof gently across the back of Dusk's head. “A little R&R will do you some real good. Trust a soldier like me; it’s not healthy to constantly be on duty! You gotta take a step back every now and then; take time off, recharge, be reminded about what’s really important in the end, maybe date a hot pink hunk of an alicorn stallion on the side, eat properly…”

“Gleam, I know all that already bu- wait what was that last one?”

“Eat properly?”

“No the one befo-”

“Be reminded what’s really important in the end?”

“...”

“There’s more to life than just books, little bro,” Gleaming speaks softly. “So much more. You just have to open up your eyes and see.”

As if being summoned by her speech; a golden chariot, being towed by two large and powerful pegasus mares, suddenly pulls up behind us on the large wooden loading dock. Seeing as how the two siblings are still in the midst of their conversation, I'm the only one to notice. Excusing myself from their personal family talk, I make my way over to the two armored guardmares. I greet them both and then proceed to take my seat within the chariot, so as to reserve it from other would-be privileged Canterlot travelers. I look over the cart’s edge back towards the two as they start to wrap up their talk.

“... Just give it a try for me. Please?” the Royal Guard Captain makes one last plea, placing a hoof upon Dusk’s withers. “If not for me, then try to go along for Barb’s sake. Poor kid’s probably never been outside the capital before in her entire life, let alone seen a Summer Sun Celebration!”

Dusk didn’t say anything in reply, instead opting to turn and spare me a glance. I say nothing as well, instead allowing my warm smile to do the talking for me.

“... But!” the younger unicorn snaps right back to his sister, obviously having considered me long enough to determine that my own feelings are irrelevant in the face of a possible catastrophe. Harsh, but I keep smiling on regardless. I knew Gleaming’s bid wouldn’t yield any results, this is Dusk we’re talking about here, but it's the thought that counts. “We can’t just ignor-”

“Your health?” Gleaming interrupts with a raised eyebrow.

“But-”

“Your wellbeing?”

“Bu-”

“Your stability…?"

“W-what?!” Dusk gasps, taken aback. “I-I’m stable! It’s just... I, it, the Prince, Nightterror Nebula, I… I-I… Grrr… GRRRR!!”

With one last loud roar being produced at the cost of what I can only imagine were the remains of his vocal cords at this point…

“... Fine…”

… Dusk finally and thankfully relents. Phew. That’s a relief. As fun as it is to watch him turn into a little bratty kid at times, as it greatly reminds me of Nathaniel when he does; it’s not proper or healthy for him to stay in that mode. His mane catches on fire when he fumes for too long.

...

… No, seriously. That is a thing that can and has happened before in the past.

Needless to say, it is a terrifying sight to behold.

Gleaming Shield couldn’t help but smile larger though for this sudden change of heart. “You’ll thank us later, Dusty,” she confides honestly, stepping forward to nuzzle the side of the colt’s face. “Promise.”

With cheeks turning bright red due to the sisterly contact (giving me brief painful flashbacks of Ashley and Nathaniel), Dusk’s eyes quickly scans around, confirms that nopony else is watching, and then reluctantly returns the embrace before taking a step back and breaking it off with a cough. Man/stallion pride at its finest, ladies and gentlemen; powerful enough to make a loner forget that he is one for the sake of keeping up appearances. Cute.

“W-we’ll see,” Dusk stammers out, trying to sound mature and confident and failing spectacularly. “We’ll see.”

As Dusk turns away, Gleaming glances in my direction. Upon confirming that I was watching, she rolls her eyes for me. We tone down our giggles as my Charge takes his place beside me on the Chariot. “Safe travels, you two,” the kind older sister asks of us one final time…

... before sharply turning her head to the guards attached to our vehicle and putting on her scary ‘business’ face.

“That goes double for you two rookies!” she spat out to them, stomping her hoof down with a sickening crack. “I don’t want to hear about any slacking off now, you hear me?!”

“Ma’am yes ma’am!” the two large pegasus guardmares roar back in confirmation, similarly to how I had earlier. Unlike with me, however, it was quite obvious that the both of them are being completely serious in their declarations. That’s reassuring, actually. As comfortable as I’ve gotten to the freaky anti-gravity magic that pegasi possess, thanks to my and Dusk's constant use of sky taxis to get around Canterlot, there’s still an old part of me that will speak up at times and ask WHY IN THE BLUE HELL IS THERE NO BACK TO THIS GODFORSAKEN PIECE OF SHI-

Eh, you get the idea. Despite the impossibility of such a thing, sky chariots are completely safe…

… but reassurance is always nice.

As I felt an itching on my scales, which signifies that our winged guardians are now hard at work with smothering our ride in a thick layer of their race’s magic, Dusk and I give Gleaming one last meaningful look. The slender and beautiful, though unquestionably strong unicorn remains standing where she is, watching quietly, as we begin to pull away into the sky. The two of us raise a hoof and claw respectively in a small wave of goodbye to her, to which the seasoned soldier raises a hoof herself and returns it with one of her own.

Soon we're too high up to see each other anymore.

We've truly left Canterlot.

In realizing this, Dusk immediately hangs himself over the edge of the chariot and resumes his sulking. Oy this colt… Oh well. I decide to leave him for now and to instead take stock of my personal inventory. Nothing better to do, I suppose. Ponyville, despite being close to the edge of the mountain Canterlot is stationed on, is still about a half hour journey via air. Yes, seriously. It’s really that far away. Via train it can take anywhere from hours to days to make the trip! Days are obviously rare though. It really depends on the availability of tracks; a few lines can become completely unusable depending on which creatures are currently using the tunnels as homes.

… At least, that’s what I read in a book once. Gleam was right; I’ve never been outside Canterlot before in this life.

It was because of this that I fought over my gut fear of looking over the edge of the chariot to do just that at this time.

The entirety of Equestria lay before me, as far as the eyes could see. The Gala Mountains, The Unicorn Range, The Badlands and Marshes and even Ghastly Gorge; my wide, draconic irises took in the sight of it all, causing me to silently stand there in awe. Only the Unicorn Range could really be seen from the city of Canterlot's edge, along with the Everfree Forest. From up here in the sky though, above even the mountain’s peak, nothing was obscured or hidden. Nothing was left forgotten; squinting hard allowed me to see locations such as the famous Cloudsdale, that tiny little hamlet of Rainbow Falls I had read about once, and, completely and utterly inconspicuous in the grand scheme of things... Ponyville.

Upon spotting it way off in the distance, I sat back down and sighed deeply. I was left humbled by the whole experience, and feeling even smaller than I already was. I really am just a tiny fish in an enormous ocean, aren’t I? I’m so unique and different from everypony else; not only because I’m a dragoness, but because of the memories of my past life as well...

… But, at the end of the day, I’m just another microscopic spec just like the rest of them; just a little girl, shipwrecked in the middle of the never-ending sea known as existent…

‘... That could make a good chapter,’ I mentally told myself after a time, referring to the secret journal of my experiences that I keep close to my person.

… Oh! Speaking of which; I was about to take an inventory inspection, wasn’t I? I got distracted by sightseeing and must have forgotten all about it… Oh well. ‘Let’s see what I have here…’

A moment later, upon opening my purse, I receive my answer.

A clawful of blank pieces of paper, quills and pencils, one sealed inkwell, and a couple enchanted royal sending seals were always constant presences in my bag, thus they didn’t surprise me now. It always helps to come prepared, you never know when the need will arise to send an emergency message to the Prince, after all! Their inclusion didn’t surprise me in the slightest... and the new items didn’t either.

The obvious new addition to my purse was, of course, my journal. The, fittingly titled, Poisoned Barb. This notebook contains a collection of my innermost thoughts and feelings (hidden behind the English language for safety) detailing my past memories and trials for both future or presently reincarnated individuals to educate themselves with. I started writing it the other night and I hope that, in the future, it will serve as a guiding light for other affected creatures to follow… as unlikely as that admittedly is.

Can’t blame me for trying though, right?

Besides the all important book, two rolled up scrolls lied in my bag as well now. One contained the message Prince Solaris sent to Dusk earlier today, and the other had been sent to us a moment later. They were both here for separate reasons; the first one because I was keeping it on hand/claw in the case I needed to reread it to encourage Dusk to actually follow through on the Prince’s orders. Beyond that it held no other purpose… The second one, however, needed to be in our possession right now.

It was certainly one of the rarest of gems... A checklist Dusk hadn’t written up himself beforehand!

It was the Summer Sun Celebration Official Overseer's Checklist. Provided by the Prince himself, it held a list of ponies and locations that his Majesty wanted us to visit and check in with today. It was presented to Dusk as just a chore list that needed to be accomplished; one that insured that the celebration was being taken care of properly… But I knew better.

I knew much better.

I knew that this scroll, seemingly benign as it was, possessed the names or locations of every one of Dusk’s future friends; as impossible as that sounds.

You see, unbeknownst to most of his subjects, Prince Solaris is special.

… Well more special than he already is, that is; then just being a pure alicorn, a Prince, an immortal, a literal god incarnate… you get the idea. He’s special because he possess a unique gift that has served him relatively well in the past...

The power of clairvoyance.

Prince Solaris... is a Seer. He can see into the future.

Scary, I know.

It’s not perfect though, not in the slightest. It happens randomly and infrequently, as he’s explained to me before, and it can even happen while he’s asleep! He doesn’t see everything, but despite these hurdles Solaris has been mostly successful in predicting Dusk’s immediate future. Not completely successful, but successful enough thanks to the additional little help he’s received from… me, a fellow ‘Seer’, in steering him in the right direction. Having watched the first two seasons of the cartoon series marks me as one, apparently, though I’m just following the script and nothing more here! It’s how Solaris rationalizes my ‘power’ though, and keeps him from digging too deep into my secret, so I’m not complaining.

It is because of this ‘power’ of mine that I know that this scroll will lead Dusk into meeting his friends today. Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack; soon all the main characters of My Little Pony will meet and soon the adventures can begin in earnest.

In the meantime though, I’m left to wonder how different each of these ponies are going to be once we actually meet them.

Just as Twilight, Celestia, and Shining Armor turned into Dusk, Solaris, and Gleaming Shield in this strange alternate dimension, it would stand to reason that a similar change has happened for all these other mares as well. As stallions… I wonder what they’re like? What are their names now, and what do they look like? All I’ve been able to do these past seven years is speculate. It hasn’t kept me up at night or anything; just idle curiosity. It wasn’t like I was a fan of the show or anything. In all honesty, ‘My Little Pony Time’ was really nothing more than ‘Mother-Daughter Bonding Time’ for me and Ash; I enjoyed spending time with my daughter more than I did actually watching the show. And Ashley used to love the show when she was a little child herself; she would watch it religiously every day until she eventually grew out of it. I was simply along for the ride…

… I still remember each character vividly though, thankfully.

Let’s see. First there was Twilight Sparkle; Ash’s favorite pony and now my Charge, Dusk Shine. I’ve already gone at length about him so moving on. Next there’s Rarity; a fashionista unicorn who liked to make dresses. Ashley and I used to share this little joke about her; one that, even as she grew out of the show completely, we would often still laugh about it from time to time.

The joke went like this. Jason, my wonderful husband, wa-... is a tailor in the same way Rarity is a seamstress. He grew up in his family’s textile shop so it was sort of an inevitable career path for him. Both him and that cartoon unicorn mare made their livings off of commissioned work; Jason would do anything from patching an old wedding dress, to designing a movie’s entire costume closet… to fixing up the neighbor’s daughter’s teddy bear, free of charge. That was just the sort of generous man I fell in love with, even with his quirks.

I think I fell in love with him especially for his quirks.

Sometimes serious business, other times a literal drama queen, and he could admittedly be a tad self absorbed on the rare day; but he always bounced back whenever he realized he was close to being distant with his family. Always.

Rarity was much the same way, from what I can recall, to the point where I remember little seven year old Ashley’s question concerning her more than I do her actual character. Said question… snort, w, w-was...

“Mommy? Why is Daddy a pretty unicorn?”

And on that day a long running joke was born.

"What are you talking about, Ashley? That’s how your father always looks! Don’t tell me you’ve never noticed his beautiful white coat before? Oh oh! Look, baby girl; your father is being fabulous again!’’

S-snort! Good times. Heh-...

…

… Sigh… Great. Now I made myself feel sad…

…

… Ahem. Er… Let’s… Let’s just get back to the ponies, shall we?

Where was I… oh! Right. Rarity. Well after Rarity there was… Pinkie Pie! Yes I remember her. Silly pink pony, hard to forget. I liked her singing voice… and that’s all I can really remember anymore.

Then there’s Applejack and Rainbow Dash. I remember liking Applejack; hard not to like a hard working gal who has her head on straight… if I’m even remembering that right. It’s been so long… Don’t think I’ll ever forget Rainbow Dash though. Her scratchy voice has forever been drilled into my brain thanks to one of the many talking toys we bought for little Ash all those years ago. I can’t recall the damn words for the life of me, but it’s still a sound that will stay with me until I die… and beyond!

Outside of the voice though, I remember her being tomboyish and sporty. I actually thought for awhile that she was Ash’s favorite instead of Twilight, due to her personality, but the forty Twilight figurines and toys against Rainbow’s ten told me otherwise. How that kid ever saved up enough of her allowance to afford so many of those things I’ll never know…

… One, two, three, four, five… That just leaves one final pony then; Fluttershy. Though I claimed before that I wasn’t really a fan of the show, and though I’ll repeat that message here, I can still state without shame that Fluttershy was my ‘favorite’ pony. Take that with a grain of salt if you were a fan of the show; I liked her solely because she’s… well… cute. Really cute… that’s it. It has nothing to do with her character or struggles or even her growth; I just thought she was cute. Not much else to really say beyond that, except maybe point out how easily it is for everyone to see a little bit of that poor shy girl in themselves… but I’m going off topic.

Said topic, for reference, was ‘I wonder what they're like as stallions’.

‘Well,’ I thought, feeling the cool wind blow against my face as I silently watch the completely unaware Dusk Shine fume in his corner.

‘... I guess we’re about to find out.’

The Poisoned Barb’s Tale
A Story by ManlyDerp
First sequel to The Poisoned Barb which is, one final time, recommended prior reading.
I do not own MLP, nor the gender-bent versions of the characters created by the fandom.

Entry 1, Part 2 (Laughter and Honesty)

“... Stop pouting, Dusk.”

“... No.”

“Stop it this instant, mister.”

“No.”

“...”

“...”

“... Don’t make me read the letter to you again, young man.”

“Barb… no.”

“I’m going to read it.”

“Barb…”

“I’m taking it out of my purse.”

“Barbara…”

“It’s in my claws…”

“No...”

“Ahem.”

“Barbara The Dragoness,” Dusk Shine turns around and snaps at me, damn near roaring. “Don’t you even dare think about it!”

My response is to blink blankly…

… And then I read the letter aloud.

“My dearest, most faithful student Dusk.”

This results in the colt moaning loud enough for even the pegasus guards pulling our chariot to pause and glance backwards; just to make sure everything was alright. Upon discerning that Dusk wasn’t being brutally murdered or something, they swiftly return to paying attention to where they were flying and that was the end of that.

“You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely,” I continue to read, fighting hard not to laugh over my friend’s frustrated grumbles. “... but you simply must stop reading those dusty old books!”

“You’re the one who gave it to me…” the unicorn mutters to himself as he drapes himself over the chariot’s edge again…

… As an aside…

… it was actually me who got Dusk the specific book he’s talking about right now, not the Prince…

...

… I choose not to correct him as I instead read further.

“My dear Dusk, there is more to a young pony’s life than studying, so I’m sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year’s location,” Pause for dramatic effect. “Ponyville. And I have an even greater task for you to complete…”

Leaning closer to Dusk’s side, I cheekily smile his way as I read the final line as loudly as I can

“Make some friends!”

Though he glares at me at first, I watch in a grin-filled silence as the stubborn colt finally lowers his head in defeat. It would appear as though he has finally accepted his fate... Yay!

“Hey look on the bright side, Dusk,” I offer kindly, trying to at least get him to cheer up a little. I can’t recall anymore if Spike said anything during this part of the cartoon, or if this conversation was shown at all, so I’ll just improvise. I know Dusk pretty darn well, so this shouldn’t be hard. “The Prince arranged for you to stay in a library! Come on now; doesn’t at least that make you happy? New books!”

Dusk remains quiet as he keeps staring out into the distance... After a moment though, he suddenly perks up and turns to me with something akin to a smile.

“Yes, yes it does actually,” he says in what appears to be brighter spirits… only to then push himself closer to my face and ask “You know why?”

‘Because… books?’ Came my mental reply.

Trust me. Around Dusk, that’s always a safe answer.

“Because I’m right!”

… Not this time though, apparently.

“I’ll check on the preparations as fast as I can,” he explains to me, the beginnings of one of his hairbrained schemes forming before my eyes. Uh oh. “Then I’ll get to the library to find some proof of Nightterror Nebula’s return.”

“Then…” I try to cut him off before this got out of hand. “When will you have time to do what the Prince asked of you and make some friends, Dusk?”

From what I can still remember of the show, things just kinda… happened. Twilight goes through the list and bumps into her new friends along the way. I know that my prodding isn’t going to change anything, I know this both because of my secret knowledge and because I know Dusk personally…

… But asking is what a concerned friend would do in the end, so that’s what I’m going to do. Screw the show, it doesn’t dictate my life… just what happens to the lives of the ponies around me.

“He said to check on preparations, Barb,” Dusk was quick to counter my question, proving for me that I really do know him well. As he explains himself, I passively start to feel the ‘sinking’ feeling which signifies that our ride is beginning to descend through the air, preparing to land. Homely cottages and imaginative buildings fly by my field of vision in rapid succession as we enter Ponyville proper. Dusk is too wrapped up in justifying his actions to even notice though; opting instead to continue speaking.

“I am his student,” he points out the obvious for me. “and I’ll do my royal duty… but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends.”

Snort. Famous last words, pony.

Thump

It was a minute later that we finally land softly upon the ground, in the middle of a somewhat empty street, and come to a complete slow stop. Our guardmares whinny loudly as the chariot halts fully; the poor dears are probably beyond tired. I imagine we’re not the only privileged Canterlot group they’ve transported to Ponyville today... This would explain why our landing isn’t drawing any of the passersby attention right now. They’ve already gawked at more then enough other visitors to their lovely little village today to even care anymore. As Dusk and I depart the cart, I spare Ponyville a glance.

It’s so much… bigger than I’d thought it would be! Buildings were closer together and taller, crowds were larger overall, and there were stands literally everywhere; as far as the end of the street and overflowing into the parks even.

… Granted a majority of this radical observation can be attributed to the fact that I’m not even three feet tall yet... but it's still pretty big. Wish I had gotten a better look at it from the sky…

“Thank you, ma’ams,” Dusk suddenly speaks up, returning me to the now. He gives both our guardmares a single nod of his head in gratitude. The two enchanted white pegasi proudly accepts this nod with a powerful huff, and equally proud smiles, before they both gallop off; returning to the blue skies above. I watch them go, but a moment later I bring my eyes forward to the equine crowd around us.

‘Alrighty then,’ I internally scheme, ready to get this ‘show’ on the road. Left alone on the streets of Ponyville, I scan my eyes around for one pony in particular amongst the many. ‘Now… Where are you, Laughter?’

Dialogue and order may have slipped my mind over the years, along with perhaps entire episodes, but I still vaguely remember giggling over jokes. Fluttershy’s tail extensions, Twilight’s mental freakout, Applejack’s “I didn’t learn anything!”; I remember the show better when I have a memory of me or Ashley laughing hysterically attached to it. That having been explained, I can state confidently that one of these aforementioned ‘bits’ is about to take place here and now… at least from what I can recall.

This particular joke involves a certain pink, little… Aha!

...

… Well, dang. That is a pretty pink colt.

Even if I wasn’t searching for him, I think I’d have a hard time not spotting Pinkie Pie’s double in a crowd. Pink coat, with a fuzzy pink mane, a short fuzzy tail, and three colorful balloons for a cutie mark? Pretty difficult to miss, I’d think.

I take in other little details about this stallion as he draws nearer, one of which being that it was actually incredibly hard to tell that he's a stallion at all! If I didn’t know for a fact about the nature of this alternate dimension, I would have totally mistaken him for a she. His colors aren’t the cause of this misgendering, oh no. I’ve grown to accept that the color pink doesn’t instantly mean ‘girl’ or ‘girly’ on this world, and neither does blue mean the opposite. I guess when you have a society that can literally be all the colors of the rainbow, said rainbow doesn’t get tied down by gender norms often.

Anyways, back on subject; Male Pinkie Pie is short and tiny. Like, ‘mare’ short and tiny. Even at a distance I can tell that he’s shorter than Dusk. His eyelashes are pretty long too, and he even has a peculiarly feminine accessory in the form of a trio of tiny jewel shaped piercings on his right ear. This part surprised me quite a bit at first, but I eventually accepted it upon rationalizing it away. He’s not a cartoon character anymore, after all, so why would I think he would need to conform to what little I remember of the show? All the ponies were the same height and weight in that cartoon, for example, while here they are clearly not.

It stands to reason that the cartoon was overall not an accurate depiction of this society.

… Wow. I keep getting distracted here. Wrapping things up quickly, so I can draw Dusk’s attention towards this stallion and cause the snowball effect that leads to a party later (Amazed that I even still remember that after all this time); these piercings are light green, purple, and grey in color, lie on the outside rim of his ear, and comes in different shapes and sizes. Only the green one can be clearly made out at this distance; it looks like a picturesque cut diamond... I think.

These, combined with his body shape, lead me to think that he just might actually be a she…

… but his muzzle is the same boxy shape I've come to associate with stallion physiology though.

That thankfully and quickly put an end to my wild guessing.

… Speaking of moving quickly…

“Er… Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about?” I suggest for Dusk, continuing our earlier discussion of how, actually, the fate of Equestria does depend on him making friends. My question comes out strained, as I was admittedly grasping at straws here, but I continue forth regardless as Pinkie Male Pie suddenly stops in front of us. He's smiling quietly, and looking at Dusk queerly, so now's my chance. I take the initiative by waving my arms in front of the earth Pony for my friend’s sake, drawing his attention “Come on, Dusk!” I plead, trying hard not to sound antsy. “Just try!”

At first Dusk looks taken aback by my sudden forwardness, and his ears flatten themselves against his head to show this… But then he looks up from me, stares right back at Pinkie Pie male version two point zero, and, for possibly the first time in his entire life, actually appears to be considering talking to somepony new! Oh my gosh, wow! ‘Come on, Dusk!’ I cheer him on in spirit. ‘You can do it!’

“U-um…” the unicorn mumbles a bit at first, his shyness leaking out of every pore, but after a moment he straightens himself out and manages to spit out his greeting completely. “H-hello?”

Yes! Whoo! He did it! I’m so proud of him!

“GASP!”

Sigh… I just wish I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

WHOSH!

“...”

“...”

… I spoke too soon.

With speed rivaling even the fastest automobile, or maybe the fastest pegasus, I had ever witness in person to move before; Pinkamena Diane Stallion Pie jumps about a yard in the air, stays there, and then somehow manages to zoom off past us to parts unknown. Dusk and I simply stare in silence as the pink blur rapidly disappears into the distance.

What also disappears along with him is what little of my safe perception of reality I have left.

‘I… I-I always thought that Pinkie’s actions were just exaggerations for a cartoon’s sake! W, w-well; shows what I know, I guess. H-heh...’

Everything has been so real until now though! Everything... I… I-I… I don’t know what to believe in anymore!!

Internal screaming is intensifying as we speak.

“... Well that was interesting alright,” complains Dusk eventually, returning to his ‘I hate everypony’ posture. I guess the hovering earth pony isn’t enough to shake him as badly as it had to me.

Lucky.

I sigh as the two of us begin to head down the road towards our next destination. I’m not sighing over the death of my ‘innocence’ or any of that nonsense. I’m instead sighing over the fact that I knew that the interaction with PinkiMale was going to end poorly, yet I encouraged it to happen still. I made the snap decision that it was a necessary evil in the long run; that it needed to happen for future events to transpire. Things will turn out better later this way, I know they will. I just have to believe in not only Dusk, but also in five other stallions to be able to be the best that they can be tonight. Only then will this day end properly, and only then can friendships begin to blossom between these young ponies.

A self driven Dusk Shine is still sigh worthy though, thus I decide that another one was in order.

‘Sigh… Oh well,’ I muse to myself as I keep pace beside the grumpy unicorn along the open road. ‘With Pinkie Colt out of the way, things can at last start in earnest. That’s good...

‘... Now then, if I'm remembering this correctly; it's time to get a taste of the good old country life.’

Apple trees stand tall and proudly along the dirt path as the two of us make our way to the bright red barn on the horizon. I have our checklist in claw as I pat along beside Dusk, who is taking in the sight of the large orchard all around us... Hmmm... There are a few rock farms up in Canterlot, and a few smaller potato and pumpkin patches here and there, but no Apple orchards at all… It's in realizing this that I mentally make the connection that this is probably the first time Dusk has ever been on a real farm before, and even more so the first time he’s ever been surrounded by so much nature. This would explain why he’s being so quiet right now; he’s taking in the scenery!

That’s actually kinda adorable when you think about it.

Shaking my head, I resume what I was doing. “Summer Sun Celebration Official Overseer’s Checklist,” I read the title of my scroll out loud as we draw closer to the Apple Family’s main gate; reminding us both what exactly we're here to inspect.

That’d be a good thing to know.

“Number one,” I begin. “banquet preparations: Sweet Apple Acres...”

Upon reading this, I had a thought. My eyes start scrolling further down the parchment, towards the next numbers. I can learn the other girl’s stallion names right here and now if I just peek ahead…

… I decide against this though, and instead keep my eyes glued on item number one for now. It’ll be more fun for me to just wait and see!

Besides, it’s not fair for Dusk to be the only blind person out here today, heh-

“YEEHAW!”

A deep and powerful voice suddenly cuts off my train of thought, and causes both Dusk and I to jump in surprise. We turn on the spot toward its source only to find…

… the second largest stallion I have ever seen before in my two lives.

This is Male Applejack, no question. Blond mane, orange coat, stetson, and three bright red apples as a cutie mark; he looks a lot like how I remember Applejack the mare to look. This is similar to how Pinkie Pie the stallion looks a bit like Pinkie Pie the mare too… Unlike with Pinkie Pie the stallion, though, there's no question here on Applejack’s gender.

He's almost twice to size of the more minuscule Dusk Shine, and thus even taller then that for little old me down here close to the ground. Not since Prince Solaris himself have I felt so tiny in comparison to a pony. I don’t think it would be hyperbole at all to claim that Stallionjack’s hindlegs are as thick as flipping tree trunks! His forelegs aren’t too skimpy themselves either. There's also quite a bit of noticeable muscle around his barrel as well, along with fat, which only serves to prove that he's a stallion who actually uses his strength regularly; not just show it off. If we were to change his coat to red, and his mane to orange, I think we’d end up with a strong candidate for a Big… whatever-his-name-was lookalike here. Big… M? Big… Tack?

… Hey I can’t remember everypony’s name from that stupid cartoon, okay? Applejack’s brother! The big red one? That’s who I’m talking about here… though I guess he’s a she in this world, making her his big sister like Gleam is to Dusk...

Well… whatever. There’s one funny little thing I’d like to point out about AppleColt here while I still have the chance, and it’s that I find it incredibly funny and cute how he still has a bright red hair band on just like AppleFilly did.

I find it funny because, while his mane and tail aren’t long enough in this dimension to warrant such a thing, he got around this ‘hurdle’ by placing it elsewhere on his body...

… It’s around his blond goatee, turning it into a bit of a rattail. Ha! That’s kinda clever… er… Universe. Good job… I think?

THUMP!

With a sickening crack echoing throughout the field, AppleMaleJack promptly ends my mental assessment of him by bucking a tree hard enough to dislodge all of the apples. Just… all of them… wow! I read about how earth ponies are super strong and powerful and junk, but to actually see such a feat in real life is honestly kinda… cool! I thought Applejack’s skills in the cartoon were an exaggeration as well, just like Pinkie’s Pinkieness, but, unlike with the aforementioned pink colt, I can actually believe the incredible feat this time. He certainly has the body for it! Makes me a little curious as to just how big the other Applejack is...

Dusk doesn't seem as impressed by this as me though.

“Sigh…” he resumes his sulking, lowering his head to the ground in apparent frustration over needing to converse with somepony again. “Let’s get this over with,” the unicorn complains as he makes his way over. I follow shortly behind, close enough to watch as he takes in a few deep breaths of air to compose himself again. “Alright…” he mutters softly before raising his head again and putting on a (fake) kind smile.

“Good afternoon,” Dusk greets the turned back of XY chromosome configuration Applejack, relying on his Canterlot snoodniess training to sound large and important. “My name is Dusk Shine-?!”

Before Dusk can say anything more to the farmer the larger stallion turns on the spot, wraps Dusk’s foreleg with one his own, and simply… squeezes.[/i

The earth pony squeezes my Charge’s hoof so darn hard that I think I heard bones begin to snap.

Apple I-really-hope-he-introduces-himself-soon Jake then flails my fragile friend around like a boneless chicken as he happily ‘shakes’ his hoof.

“Well howdy-doo, Dusk Shine buddy!” the blond stallion gives out a hearty cheer. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, haha!”

Dusk’s terrified eyes dart my way momentarily, seeking aid, but there was nothing I can to help the poor boy out… I can barely even stop myself from laughing here! As the farmer continues to seemingly try to rip Dusk’s foreleg clean out of its socket, he thankfully and finally introduces himself to us.

“I’m Applejack!”

I’m surprised… though admittedly not entirely. ‘Applejack’ is a gender neutral name, from what I’ve gathered, so it’s not too far-fetched that he got to keep it during the cosmic event that created this place. Everypony else will probably be different, so I’m not too disappointed or anything. There’s always the next one.

Applejack resumes his sales pitch in high spirits, none the wiser to my internal observations. I don’t think he’s even noticed me yet! Meh. “We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like makin’ new friends!”

“F-f-f-friends?” Dusk stutters out weakly. This isn’t due to him being nervous or anything… it's just because his teeth have undoubtedly liquefied by this point at the rate Applejack is still shaking his arm! “A-a-actually I-I-I-I…”

“So what can I do you for?” the farmer asks Dusk good naturally with a wink, having finally let go of his arm.

Dusk didn’t get this memo though, and his arm keeps on shaking as a result. Seeing as how his eyes are closed, it falls on to me to reach out and use my claws to stop him before the darn appendage goes flying off to parts unknown. He blinks upon realizing that the ‘friendly’ contact was over and done with, and shoots me a dirty look as I snicker under my breath, but he eventually clears his throat and resumes his official duty.

“Well,” the equally young stallion starts. “I am, in fact, here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.” Dusk gestures his hoof, the one that was still visibly shaking, to Applejack and asks “And you’re in charge of the food...?”

The pony with the green eyes lets out a loud and boastful “HA!” thanks to this. “You bet your purple flank we are, buddy!” He then leans in closer and returns Dusk’s question with one of his own.

“Care for some samples?”

This only ends hilariously from what I can recall.

Dusk, completely unaware as to the consequences of his next few words, replies to the question with

“As long as it doesn’t take too lon-”

Applejack was gone before he could even finish.

Racing to a hanging metal triangle, and gripping a separate equally metal beater with his teeth, the large stallion strikes the two together in rapid succession before dropping them both and yelling at the top of his lungs

“SOUP’S ON, EVERYPONY!”

And then the ground rumbles beneath us.

A literal flood of equines pour out of the woodworks at the call, appearing from behind every nook and cranny and even tree. Against the force of such an impressive ‘army’, neither Dusk nor I stood a chance. We both end up getting swept away in the river of ponies, and carried upon their powerful backs, at a single round, and set, picnic table. After being deposited in seats, Applejack smoothly moves in next to us, as if on cue… I’m starting to think that we were expected. Eh, makes sense I suppose. I would go through a similar song and dance whenever Jason had a potential customer over, so I can’t really blame these ponies for doing the same for inspectors from Canterlot such as ourselves.

Sitting at this table, now the center of attention for this massive group of ponies, Applejack laughs loudly as he smirks at us, waves his foreleg over the gathered crowd of ponies, and asks Dusk a single question that wasn't really one. “Now…

“... why don’t I introduce y’all to the Apple family?”

Dusk grows visibly terrified at this suggestion.

“T-thanks,” he weakly responds as he stands up and begins to draw himself away. “but I really need to hurry-”

No dice, my friend. That apple fritter being shoved into your face right now is asking you to stay awhile. The new stallion who had just placed the item there quickly backs off as he sets it down…

… and allows the rest of his kin to repeat the act with gusto.

A literal pile of deserts starts to form before us as Applejack begins to list off name after name after name. Everything was going so fast that I couldn’t keep track of anything; I heard a Brioche and a Cinnamon Crisp and a Jazz... maybe… Ah! I can’t follow at all!

“... Red Gala, Apple Buck...” Applejack adds, just as lovingly, after a much needed breath of air. I can’t see where he's pointing from where I'm now standing, as a note, so whoever the heck Red Gala and Apple Buck are are as much a mystery to me as they are to you... Though I can hazard a few guesses.

Taking advantage of Dusk’s deer-in-a-headlight open jaw and thousand yard stare, the orange earth pony quickly shoves a nice green granny smith apple into the unicorn’s mouth right before finishing his name listing with “Aaaannnnnd Grandpa Smith over yonder! Hehe. Up’n’attem, Grandpa! We got guests!”

I look over to where the farmer was pointing and was able to, this time, spot an aged green stallion sleeping peacefully in a rocking chair; one that was set up smack dab in the middle of nowhere. With a start the graying pony gets up, mumbles groggily nothings under his breath, and then slowly hobbles his tiny self over to the table and our gathering.

…

… I was supposed to grow that old with Jason someday…

…

… Sudden melancholy aside, it's with yet another hearty laugh that Applejack finally ends his sharing. “Why, I’d say you’re already part of the family!”

At this, Dusk immediately spits out his food.

“Bleh!” he yaks, though Applejack doesn't seem appalled at all. With a timid laugh, my purple unicorn Charge makes one last ditch effort to leave this whole situation altogether. “O-okay, well... I-I can see that the food situation is handled, so we’ll just be on our way!”

And he would have gotten away with it too…

“Aren’t you gonna stay for brunch?”

… if it wasn’t for that meddling kid! Ha!

…

… Okay I’ll be honest with you here, I’ve been holding on to that one for seven years... Seven!

Just… just let me have my fun for once, would ya’? Please?

Disregarding my silliness for a moment; though I can’t see the little pony who had asked this question through the forest of legs surrounding us, I can tell that it was a young colt’s voice. This must be Apple Bloom, or Buck as I heard Applejack mention earlier. Unlike with Big Whatever, I remember Apple Bloom from the show because she was part of that little group with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo; two other main characters out of the ten. They probably haven’t formed said group yet, but that’s besides the point.

The point is that a cute tiny pony is most likely looking Dusk straight in the eyes right now, with big wide peepers himself, and asking him why he’s trying to run away from his happy 'little' family right now.

Though he tries to dodge out of the way…

“Sorry, but we have an awful lot to do…”

“Sigh…”

… electing a round of disappointed sighs from the gathered ponies…

“... fine.”

“WHOO!”

… Dusk isn’t heartless. Not by a long shot.

Oh he's not pleased with this turn of events one single bit, as indicated by his frown and angry eyes, but he’s not the kind of pony to disappoint others. I smile brightly at Dusk as Applejack and the crowd of ponies swamp him, trying to vie for his attention, and as they begin to feed him more of their treats and more of their stories. I'm left by the wayside as this happened, nopony really paying me much mind, but I'm ultimately fine with this. Dusk’s the main star here, not me… though I still hope I can get a slice of that apple pie over there later on here, please and thank you. Maybe if I as-

“E-excuse me, Miss?”

Caught unaware, I end up blinking blankly for a bit before realizing that somepony was actually talking to me. I turn to my right.

I find a little yellow colt, with a bright red mane, standing there; staring at me with giant, mystified eyes.

“Are you a real dragon?” asks the tiny, cutie mark-less Apple Buck in soundless wonder. He's clearly Apple Bloom to a tee; from the colors to the size to even the big bright red bow that's tied neatly around his throat. This is certainly a little boy version of that filly in every aspect.

… Admittedly, even though I say that he’s small and tiny, he really isn’t in comparison to me. We’re about at the same eye level, and probably even the same age…

Remembering this specific detail about myself never fails to sadden me a little... but it has yet to completely dampen my love of children overall. Though I technically am one nowadays, I can still separate myself from their age group and treat them appropriately when the need arises.

Thusly did I then, after smiling gently to him, respond to his innocent question lightheartedly with “Last I checked I was.”

“Cooool,” he whispers in awe, his eyes full of stars. I’m actually quite used to this kind of response, truthfully; often times a foal would approach me out of the blue while I’m out and about in Canterlot and ask similar questions. I always try to answer entertainingly for their benefit. Sometimes they love it, other times they turn into little spoiled brats… but that’s always a risk I’m willing to take. Long ago did I learn the all important lesson that you need to be proud of your body, no matter what. It was a good creed to live by as a ‘big’ women back on Earth, and it has served me here in Equestria just as gracefully so far.

“C-can…” Apple Buck starts to ask nervously, his eyes darting this way and that as if searching for eavesdroppers. Upon the coast apparently being ‘clear’, he asks me fully “Can you really breathe fire, Miss Dragon?”

Hah! ‘Miss' Dragon.

Bless this colt’s heart for being such a dear.

“Hmmm,” I reply slyly, making a show of thinking ‘deeply’ over the simple question. “Well… I don’t know! Let’s see, shall we?”

I then turn my head to the side and blow out a tiny little tongue of green dragonfire for my youthful audience.

Apple Buck’s face swiftly transforms into the image of a little boy who has just witnessed the coolest thing in their entire life.

Holding a claw before my mouth, I giggle a little over the sight. I curtsy to him soon after, with the dress I'm currently not wearing, as well; glad to have put on a good show.

“Again again!” the colt is quick to beg, giggling himself as he excitedly jumps up and down in place. He eventually calms down after a time to tack on the all important “Pllleeeaaassssse?” to his request.

Oh good lord. I think I've just received a fraction of the same force that ensnared Dusk not two minutes ago! In the face of such a cutie, how can I possibly say no? “Hehe, alright alright,” I agree with a laugh, making a pitiful attempt to calm him down by moving my claws up and down. “It makes my breath stink when I do it too much… but I think I can make an exception this time.”

“Oh thank you thank you thank you!” the little colt cheers in jubilation. He's acting like Hearths Warming has just come early this year. Awww. The sight of it is warming my old/young heart.

What can I say? I’m still a mother under all these scales and youth.

Upon agreeing to perform on more time, I swiftly decide that I'm going to make an even bigger flame this time for my lovely little pony. To insure his and everypony else’s safety, I take a single step back and tilt my head at an angle towards the sky. I start to suck in air, and take a big breath, as I-

“Apple Buck.”

Cough cough! I-immediately choke on it thanks to a sudden loss of concentration. Bleh!

As I cough up black smoke, I turn towards the source of this voice just in time to see Apple Buck cringe. He turns as well towards the feminine call a moment later, though he does so slowly.

He discovers a large red pony standing before him.

A large, large pony.

Like, holy fudge; that is a large pony. Solaris is the tallest stallion I’ve ever met. Applejack is the second tallest.

This pony is taller than him, marking her as the tallest mare I have ever seen before, period.

And she was a mare, surprisingly. Her rounded muzzle gave her away. If not for it, though, I think I would have had just as difficult of a time identifying her as a her as I had with Male Pinkie Pie being a stallion! She's just as muscular as Applejack, just as well built, and, no question, just as powerful… if not more! She has a body that can make most guardmares weep in jealousy. Even more shockingly, she looks stronger than Gleaming Shield! This confuses me greatly; she’s clearly Applejack and Apple Bloom’s older brother, I can tell. The yoke around this mare's neck stands as proof of this assumption, and she even looks like him quite a bit if not for the slightly longer hair and the non-square muzzle.

What’s confusing me about this, however, is the fact that her and Gleaming have completely different body shapes, while I remember this gal’s male half and Shining Armor having the same on the cartoon! I know that there’s some discrepancies when it comes from transitioning from a cartoon to real life, but this is still a pretty big one.

… Although, Applejack’s body is a pretty big change as well… Maybe everypony just transitions differently between the two sexes. I guess It’d be silly if everyone came out beautiful looking after a simple gender switch.

That is not to say that this mare isn’t beautiful. Not at all! I may not be attracted to women, let alone ponies, but that doesn’t prevent me from noticing how well she treats herself. Her mane is well kept, as is her tail, and her coat is as clean as can be.

She’s a big hefty mare and she clearly loves being herself.

A pony after my own heart.

“R-red Gala,” Apple Buck sputters out his sister’s name meekly, trying to look small and inconspicuous. “Ah… ah wasn’t botherin’ her none! Honest!”

Red Gala continues to silently stare at her little brother, only moving the wheatstock in her mouth around and doing nothing else.

“... You finish your homework?” the large mare questions in a slow drawl, her voice deep and non accusing.

“N-...” the little yellow boy croaks in response. “N-nope…”

“...”

“... S-... s-should ah go and do it, sis?”

“Do you want to stay up and see the Prince raise the sun?”

“... E… eeyup, Red…”

“Then ‘eeyup’, Buck.”

“... Okay,” the colt finally relents with head hung low. He starts to trot off, only to then stop and look backwards towards me. “Thank you for showin’ me your fire, Miss Dragon! It was really cool!”

With that he speeds off towards the farmhouse in the distance and shuts the door behind him.

Red Gala watches this passively before she looks down at me herself.

“Sorry for him botherin’ you, Miss,” she speaks to me softly.

I wave this off with a passive claw. “Oh he wasn’t a bother at all,” I assure her honestly. “Really. The dear just wanted to see a real dragon. I can understand that; I am pretty rare, after all.”

“Eeyup,” she concurs, turning her head to look at the mosh pit the gathering of ponies has devolved into. She continues to rotate the wheatstock in her mouth silently as she gazes over it with an unreadable expression.

With nothing better to do now but just wait, I decide to pass the time with this giant of a pony here. “You’re Red Gala, right?” I asked. “Are you Applejack’s sister, as well as Buck’s?”

“... Eeyup,” Red Gala explains to me poetically, looking back down. “Don’t think I got your name, sugarcube. You by chance that Dusk fellow’s sis as well?”

“Hah!” came my instant reply. “No no,” I wave her off. “Nothing like that. I’m just his loyal assistant.”

I offer her a claw.

“Barbara The Dragoness.”

She gently places her hoof within it.

“A pleasure.”

We shake… and then that was the end of it. The two of us proceed to turn our heads forward and quietly watch the festivities that are happening before us. Just as I had been earlier, I'm okay with this. Watching Dusk actually interact with ponies is a treat to watch, both because of how awkward he is during most of the exchange, but also because of those rare instances where his face will light up in a “I get it!” moment of clarity. These scant few occurrences brighten up my day, as they show me that he's actually starting to slowly understand ponies besides himself for once.

It's a wonderful sight to see.

… Though a different sight soon takes precedence over the other in my mind.

A sight that I can’t stop myself from asking about.

“... Red Gala?”

“... Eeyup,” the mare beside me answers, apparently well aware of what I'm about to ask.

“... Why is Applejack sticking his entire hoof down Dusk’s throat?”

“...”

At first Gala says nothing, but she eventually sighs and answered.

“He… does that sometimes, Miss Barbara.”

“Barb is fine,” I offer automatically, before asking plainly “Why?”

“Big, Red, or both works for me,” the mare offers me in exchange before placing a hoof on her forehead and sighing yet again. “And to answer your question, Barb; it’s because he’s… hearty.”

I blink.

“... I don’t understand, Red.”

“Ah mean,” she explains further and tiredly. “He gets excited to help ponies out… often times too excited. So excited, ah'll admit, that he... forgets things… Things like hooves don’t belong in mouths… Ugh.”

I chuckle softly. “You’re embarrassed by it?”

“... Sigh... Eeyup.”

“Don’t be.”

Though she pauses at first, the big red mare momentarily removes her hoof from her facepalming to gives me a questioning look. Smiling to her softly, I state quite clearly that

“Dusk is worse.”

Big Red considers my words for a moment… before snorting and smiling back.

“Ah doubt it,” she counters confidently, her grin never weaning.

“Challenge accepted,” I retort, crossing my arms over my chest as I smirking right back up at her. “I’ve got stories that'll make you laugh so hard that your cutie mark will fly right off your flank, and make Dusk’s cheeks turn just as red as your own, pony.”

“Hah,” Gala chuckles, clearly not believing me. “Prove it.”

My grin only grows larger.

“Gladly.”

Sitting bowlegged on the ground, I gesture with a claw for the mare to take a seat along with me. Folding her own legs, she obliges. Once she's as close to my eye level as she can get, I begin to share this tale.

“Alright,” I start off. “So this one is actually a story Dusk’s big sister shared with me once. She’s Gleaming Shield, Captain of the Royal Guard, so I don’t really have a reason to doubt how truthful it is. Plus it totally sounds like something Dusk would do, so that’s even more reason for me to believe that this actually did happen. I also have proof, but I’ll share that at the end.

“So, to open up here, understand this; Dusk loves stars. He loves them. That cutie mark isn’t just a bunch of stars because he’s good at magic, oh no; it also represents his love of stargazing. He has three different brands of telescopes, an entire room back home full of star charts, and he’s even enchanted his bedroom ceiling to display the night’s sky. Bottom line; he’s in love with the cosmos, you dig?

“Now then; once upon a time, Dusk went to a stargazing convention up in Canterlot. It was a big old meeting of the minds; all the experts in the field were there to share stories and their experiences. I can only imagine that he was literally in heaven that day. The convention even had lectures! Tons and tons of lectures, all dedicated to Dusk’s second favorite subject next to magic; astronomy. I’m told that he managed to go to all of the talks on the first day! For a bookworm like him, it must have been one of the greatest times of his life!

“... All good things must come to an end though.

“On the second day of the convention, Dusk made his way into one meeting room and ended up having to sit behind a girl. Now, this pony loved stars too. She loved them so much that she wore this, I’m told, beautiful dress that was decorated in hundreds upon hundreds of constellations. You can imagine it was a sight to behold.

“Too bad for her though; she made the poor decision to sit in front of Dusk Shine.

“Now, understand that Dusk is not a bad pony; not at all! He doesn't like to interact with other ponies, and instead likes to be with his books, but he is by no definition a bad pony. He wouldn’t hurt a fly!

“A dress, on the other hoof…Well, this one in particular was unfortunately flawed; it had one, only one I say, star more than what the actual section of space it was displaying actually held. No normal pony would have spotted it… But Dusk is anything but normal.

“So, because he felt as though it was his sacred duty… he used his magic to make this single star disappear.

“... The cloth underneath it disappeared as well.”

Placing a hoof over her mouth, Big Red Gala fights hard to suppress a gasp as her eyes grow wide in shock.

“Yes,” I agree with her. “That was my reaction too. Dusk, as inexperienced with sewing at the time as he was, failed to see that these stars weren’t attached to the dress but instead were sown in to it! In using his magic to make the star vanish, Dusk instead ripped a hole in it completely. So shocked was he over his mistake, the he ended up doing the only logical thing he could think of doing at the time…”

“... Put it back?” Gala asks me shakily, daring to hope.

I offer her a small smile.

“... Nope… He made the entire row disappear next to compensate!”

This time the large mare does gasp.

“That was my reaction too!” I again agree, laughing a little as I do. “You know what the best part is though?”

“What?”

I grin cheekily.

“That’s not the worst part!

“The worst part is that Dusk, upon making an entire row of this poor pony’s dress disappear, tried to ignore the gown for the rest of the discussion… only to fail miserably. You see, in erasing the row…”

“No,” Red Gala suddenly exclaims, having put two and two together. “He didn’t…”

I continue on unabided. “... the constellations were now even more incorrect than they were before…”

“Tell me he didn’t!”

“... so he…”

“N-no!"

“... cut the dress down even further!”

“Gasp!”

I nod my head somberly.

“Yes. Sad but true. He kept hacking away at that poor defensively dress for the rest of the discussion. The girl only noticed what had happened once it was all over; when she stood up and discovered that her once gorgeous gown had become a miniskirt!”

“...”

“...”

“... Snort.”

This single snort is all it takes for the dam to break open. Soon the two of us were laughing up a storm, all at Dusk’s expense.

“S-snort,” Gala again chokes up. “Heh… Ah guess little colt’s will be colt’s; ah can completely see Apple Buck pullin’ somethin’ like that off by mistake!”

Lowering my own chuckling to a more manageable level, I decide that it's now time to deliver the punchline.

“Yes, little colts will be little colts,” I concede with the nod of my head. “... The thing is though?” I playfully question, leaning closer to the large mare. Curious; she leans in closer as well, turns her ear towards me, and allows me to whisper within it…

“... This happened last year, and Dusk is still banned from that convention center to this day!”

“...”

“...”

Our laughter resumes shortly thereafter; this time even louder than before.

“Ah like you, kid,” Big Red tells me honestly after our chortles subside. “Fan of Hoofball at all?”

“Sorry,” I apologize, feeling a bit ashamed. “But not really. Wherever Dusk goes, I go. If the stick legs and pasty skin of his didn’t tip you off already, he’s not much of a sports pony. I don’t get to go out and see the games often as a result.”

“Well that’s a shame,” the green apple cutie mark baring mare says simply, her smile never leaving her face.

Not wanting to seem rude, I offer up a suggestion myself. “Umm… Have you read any good books lately?”

Drawing a hoof to her chin, the earth pony thinks a bit about my question before properly answering it.

“Hmmm. Ever read anythin’ by... Haw Riming?”

The world around me suddenly goes dead silent.

“... He’s Dedicated to Roses?” I title drop one of my favorite Equestrian cheesy romance novels, hoping greatly that she’s read it before. “In which a filly, trying to escape the stress of being bullied…”

“Dresses as a stallion,” Red completes for me, our eyes both becoming wide in realization. “And joins a street gang…”

“Where she becomes the top dog!” I happily chip in. “Gaining infamy!”

“And,” my new best pony friend picks up. “The eyes of a lone stallion, who's fallen in love with her male alter ego!”

“He steals her first kiss!”

“She breaks his snout!”

“But in the end she grows to love him too!”

“Now, there’s a problem though…”

“He’s Dedicated only to ‘Roses’!”

“Eventually this filly comes clean with him...”

“Revealing that she’s been a she the entire time…”

“At first he’s sad…”

“And so is she…”

“...”

“...”

“... But then the stallion declares,”

“In a complete show of passion…”

“Stallion, Mare; I’ve decided that it doesn’t matter! For now on, I’m only dedicated to you!”

“Stallion, Mare; I’ve decided that it doesn’t matter! For now on, I’m only dedicated to you!”

“EEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!”

“EEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!”

“Er, are you two ladies… okay over there?”

With our totally mature and dignified fangirl squealing having suddenly been put on hold, Red Gala and I stare at each other for a moment before turning our heads to Applejack... discovering that everypony present is now staring at us as well.

… Opps.

Standing up and blushing bright red (Gala’s coat covered up quite a bit of her own blush, the lucky B word), the two of us sputter incoherently for a time before settling on a simple reply of

“Eeyup.”

“...”

With a roll of his eyes, not sparing us another thought, the orange pony resumes shoving food into Dusk’s pie hole. Gala and I stand silently next to each other as we watch as things slowly go back to normal.

“... Barb?” the mare asks me after the coast was clear.

“... Yeah?” I ask back as I strain my neck trying to look back up at her.

The big red pony smiles kindly down at me as she gently noogies the top of my head.

“Ah think we’re gonna be good friends.”

All I can do is smile back in agreement.

“Heh… Eeyup.”

Well… that was fun!

After a small length of time had passed, Dusk and I now find ourselves back on the streets of Ponyville, ready to head towards our next destination. The scroll and one of my seldom used pencils are in my claws as I check off the first completed task.

“Food’s all taken care of,” I tell Dusk over my shoulder. I glance further down the list and note what was number two before actually looking at the corresponding name. “Next is… weather!”

“Ugh…” Dusk moans from behind me, moving sluggishly. “I ate too much pie…” he winned.

‘And apples, and fritters,’ I mentally add. ‘And… cake, for reasons that escape me. How does one apple up a cake to such an extent? I hardly think there was any flour in that monstrosity. Still wish I got a slice though...’

Shaking my head, I decide that I need to focus on the now for… er… now. Weather's next, huh? Looks like it’s time for Rainbow Dash.

‘Or,’ I muse to myself with a grin, moving my clawed thumb over to read what this now stallion’s name is. ‘Should I say; Rainbow…?’

I stop and stare at the name.

It is not what I was expecting it to be.

‘... Huh… Weird...’

Shrugging, I end up realizing that it really isn’t worth worrying about as I instead look upwards and scan the cloudy skies for the illusive pony. Despite his added girth, Dusk quickly saddles up beside me as he waits patiently for me to list our next target.

“Hmm,” I begin, still looking upwards. I eventually explain, despite how much my brain wants to scream at me about how what's written is wrong, that…

“There’s supposed to be a pegasus pony named… Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds.”

Applejack is Applejack and Rainbow Dash is… Rainbow Dash still? That can’t be right… can it?

… No, it can’t really… It can’t be right, because…

“Well, she’s not doing a very good job, is she?” comments Dusk after looking up at the still cloudy skies. And there we have the problem that's been silently bugging me right now. Applejack’s name is gender neutral.

Rainbow Dash’s isn’t.

… At least, it isn’t from my limited knowledge of Equestrian names. It can be short for Dashing, which is considered highly girly in the minds of the Canterlot Elite. A stallion with the name isn’t possible… right?

I honestly don’t know.

… Guess I have one way of checking though...

“He,” I correct for Dusk as I turn to face him.

The stallion gives me an odd look for this.

“What?” he questions me in complete surprise. “But Dash is clearly a mare’s nam-”

WHUMP!

And then a rainbow colored, pony shaped bullet suddenly strikes my poor friend down where he stands before he even had the chance to answer me properly.

R.I.P. Dusk Shine. May your next life be full of stars.

... Letting up on the joking for now, I rush forward towards the mudpuddle Dusk had just been pushed into, thanks his the collision with a flying pegasus, to see if the two of them are okay at all. Once I make it there, and am able to get a good look at this now mysterious rainbow pony... I find myself left with even more questions then before!

Just… Wha?

Straining his head up, getting a better look at the small blue pony now on top of him for himself, Dusk weakly smirks as he turns over to me and utters cockily

“T-told you so…”

He then goes on to completely lose his lunch on the side of the sunny Ponyville road.

… I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that that part wasn’t shown in the cartoon.

I am understandably grateful for this.

Entry 1, Part 3 (Loyalty and Generosity)

Author's Notes:

Howdy! Big thanks go to RadicalDishonesty who proofread this chapter for me. Thanks to him and others, I now better understand all the little writing mistakes I've been making up to this point. The entire story has been retroactively fixed up tense-wise, and I'm slowly eliminating instances of LUS (Lavender Unicorn Syndrome). That one's not as big an issue as was the tenses, so I'll only be fixing it up whenever I go back to re-read through things.

Secondly, there was a line in the original The Poisoned Barb that a lot of people missed, apparently. I do mix a lot of subtle hints and clues into my dialogue all the time so I'm not too surprised. I'll repeat it here in this chapter for your convenience, to hopefully alleviate some of the reactions I'm sure to get.

Please come back and read this part only AFTER you've read the actual chapter, and before you comment! ==> This is about the earlier thing, not the later thing. Sorry, and I'm also really sorry that Rainbow is probably not what you guys were hoping for. Really. I know quite a few of you wanted for it to go in a certain direction, but it was always my intention to make him/her this way. Solaris' line in the first story cemented the fact. I already had each character penned up mentally at that point, including this different interpretation of Rainbow Blitz. Though probably not what you wanted, I hope you'll still enjoy the direction I take this version of our favorite flygirl ^_^

This can’t be right.

This can’t be right.

Twilight is a stallion in this world; her brother is her sister, her parents are reversed, and her mentor is known as a father to ponies for crying out loud! That’s another thing: the Prince of Equestria has a little brother instead of a little sister here. He also has a legion of guardmares under his command instead of stallions! Other ponies are like this too; Apple Bloom is Buck, Applejack is a stallion among stallions, Red Gala is all woman despite how she looks...

… and I’m still female as well, despite Spike being a boy…

I… I know what the gimmick is in this dimension. I know with certainty. All the genders are flipped here! Every, single, one…

… So why is Rainbow Dash still a mare?!

I don’t think there’s any question about that either! Dash’s snout is round like a mare’s and hi-, screw it, her eyelashes are long as well. Her tail is as long as a mare’s too, as is her colorful mane. She’s a little shorter than Dusk on top of things, which is perfectly normal for most girls around her age.

Lastly…

… well…

… j-just look at those hips for the love of Solaris! Those are child, er, foalbearing hips right there.

Trust me. I know my hips.

‘W-what’s going on?’ I’m forced to ask myself, still unable to properly process what I’m looking at. ‘Why is she different? Why would everything else be consistent up to this point except for a main character like her?!’

My thoughts keep on spinning as the two downed ponies begin to stir and move around in their mud puddle, trying to separate themselves from one another and get back up.

‘This can’t be right,’ I attempt to convince myself, trying desperately to understand what I’m even seeing here. ‘It just can’t! Up to this point the only real variation I’ve been able to clearly spot in this world, versus the one shown on the cartoon, is… is...’

My train of thought suddenly comes to a complete, screeching halt as the answer finally reaches my mental lips.

‘... me.’

…

‘... Is it… possible?’

“Heheh… Uh, e-excuse me?”

A scratchy voice summons me from out of my innermost thought, forcing me to return to the present. Looking forward, I watch things unfold as a blushing Rainbow Dash… wait, blushing? Did… did that happen on the show? I don’t think so, from what I remember... But Pinkie also didn’t have piercings either in it, so… Ugh! This whole meeting is either going to leave me with a headache or just plain old heartache by the end of it; I just know it.

… Whatever. So, anyways, I watch in a daze as a blushing Rainbow Dash smiles softly at Dusk’s unmoving form. The flying I-can-only-keep-assuming-for-now-mare continues to giggle as she lifts herself further up into the air. Oh great. To add even more fuel to the ‘Rainbow is a mare’ fire, even her voice sounds the same! Dusk’s, Applejack’s, Colt!Pinkie’s… even little Apple Buck’s voice is deeper than hers!

“Lemme help you with that!” she suddenly offers to Dusk, who’s still flat on his face in the mud. He sits up groggily and turns around to face the blue pegasus, but she zooms off right over my head before he gets the chance. She returns a second later, though, with a fluffy storm cumulious in her furry hooves. Unintentionally flashing her colorful lightning bolt Cutie Mark in my face for a moment, she proceeds to hop on top of the cloud and give it a few quick jumps, resulting in a downpour of rain water falling right on my charge’s poor head. Sitting in wet mud, his entire body now soaked thoroughly, Dusk looks like a picturesque example of an unhappy unicorn.

“Oops!” the mare says with a snort from up in her new cloud perch... Mysterious mare(?) aside, the whole ‘sitting on a cloud’ thing still startles me whenever I see it happen. Heck, it still startles me that I get to see it at all! They keep clouds so darn close to the ground here in Equestria...

After giggling to herself for a little bit longer, the rainbow themed pony eventually stammers out, “I-I guess I overdid it! Um, uh… how about this?”

I take a step back, and fight hard to stay standing, as the pegasus begins to make tight flying turns around the puddle, creating bursts of wind which quickly leads to the creation of a freaking multicolored tornado! Ah! Again, I find myself wishing that crap like this was just an exaggeration for a cartoon’s sake!

“I call this, the Rain-Blow Dry!” Rainbow hoots over the wind as Dusk is rapidly assaulted by a storm of colors.

... I, meanwhile, am left feeling like parts of that speech have been left out. I can’t remember the exact words anymore after all these years, granted, but I also can’t shake this nagging feeling that something here is clearly different. Considering how the prior encounters felt the same, except with stallions instead of mares... it says a lot about this whole strange situation.

What on Earth and Equus is going on here with this pony? She’s acting differently from how the other main characters I’ve met so far did. She blushes she stutters, she’s nowhere near as cocky as I remember her being, and she’s not even saying all her lines! It’s like she’s trying and failing to remember a script…

… Which is a lot like what I’ve been doing, actually…

…

… Maybe… just maybe...

‘... Damn it all, Barb. Don’t get your hopes up now.’

What? But, brain, I-

‘Broke down into a crying mess when Solaris turned out to not be one himself,’ I finish for… er... me...

…

… Sigh… Fine fine. I’ll just… I’ll just let this play out I guess.

‘Good girl.’

Shut up, brain.

“Hopefully that did the trick,” the speedy pegasus says cheerily as she slows down the flapping of her wings and thus lowers herself to the ground. “You’re welcome!” she adds ‘helpfully’ as she lands fully and opens her eyes to inspect her work.

Putting my suspicions on hold for now, and curious as to what had actually happened while I was busy sorting out my mind, I circle around what was left of the mud puddle in order to stand next to the flyer. She has the best seat to check Dusk out right now... I take a gander at his condition myself right as Dash starts to cover her mouth with a hoof; trying to suppress her sudden laughter.

She ultimately fails in the end…

… and so do I.

I find myself falling backwards into a heap alongside the stunt pony as the hilarious image of the now spiked-do Dusk Shine burns itself directly into my mind. Just… snort, s-so funny! Oh my goodness, he looks like one of those Japanese cartoon characters! He reminds me of that old blond one with the orange suit, from that show Nathaniel used to watch with Jason!

The fact that Dusk is not happy about this in the slightest is only serving to make this even funnier.

Not as enthusiastic about the whole affair as us, looking to all the world like a stallion ready to kill somepony in a quiet and professional manner, his voice takes on a blunt edge as he states steadily and clearly, “Let me guess. You’re Rainbow Dash.”

I’ll give Dusk this much credit, at least he didn’t growl as he said that. He really is growing up!

I’m so proud of him.

Realizing that she’s being talked to, Rainbow lifts herself off the ground in a, well, dash. She gets up so fast, in fact, that I, having been unintentionally using her barrel as a pillow during our laughing fit, get sent flying up into the air as a result.

A whip of Dash’s tail and a burst from her left wing corrects my path at the last possible second though, resulting in me landing firmly, if roughly, across her back. Blinking, it takes me a good couple seconds to figure out where I even am right now so that I can begin to dismount myself back to the ground.

She kindly lowers herself downwards so that I can accomplish just this.

I’m caught by surprise by the act, but I accept it after a moment and offer her a small nod of my head in thanks. Turning her own head, whipping her long and only slightly air-damaged mane over her withers, the blue pony gives me a smile as well before lifting herself back up and returning her attention to Dusk.

“That’s me! You heard of me before?”

“I heard you were supposed to be keeping the sky clear,” Dusk retorts grumpily, returning to his default state. With a sigh, my purple friend surprises me by taking the mature route of starting over. Aw, he’s learning! True, he still seems a bit ticked off over it all, but at least it’s something. “I’m Dusk Shine, and the Prince sent me to check on the weather.”

With a flap of her feathery wings, Rainbow swiftly returns to the now pure white cloud and makes herself visibly comfortable within its, I can only assume, fluffy embrace.

“It’ll be done in a snap,” she assures Dusk, looking down at him from her makeshift bed. “Really! I’m just practicing my moves a bit with them first.”

More exasperated than angry at this point, my charge only tilts his head to the side and asks plainly “Practicing for what?”

At the question, Rainbow Dash grew as giddy as a little schoolgirl.

“The Wonderbolts!” she nearly squeals, happily pointing a hoof off into the distance towards a Wonderbolts advertisement poster. Dusk and I turn our heads towards it as she goes on. “They’re gonna perform at the Celebration tomorrow, and I’m gonna show ‘em my stuff!”

I know the Wonderbolts. They were mentioned in the show a few times, from what I can recall, and it was always Rainbow’s dream to join them. Since coming here I’ve learned a little bit more about their organization... despite never paying them any real mind, and never even attending a derby or flyby.

I’ve learned how they’re not just stunt ponies, but also a completely separate branch of the Equestrian military nowadays. Whenever there’s a big problem on the horizon about to strike against Equestria, the Wonderbolts head out first and try to deal with it themselves. That having failed, they can easily escape with their lives and provide important information concerning the enemy to the rest of the remaining branch. From there the situation gets told to Prince Solaris and it swiftly gets dealt with appropriately. In admitting that she wants to join them, Rainbow Dash is basically saying that she either wants everypony to see her skills or that she honestly wants to prevent disasters from befalling Equestria before they even happen...

… What can I say? My lessons with the Bluebelles were really in depth.

“The Wonderbolts?” Dusk asks doubtfully, the mocking tone clear in his voice.

“Yep!” chimes Rainbow Dash happily, none the wiser.

“The most talented flyers in all of Equestria?”

“That’s them!”

“Pfft!” articulates the studious Dusk with all the grace and dignity he can muster. Oh dear. “Please. They’d never accept a pegasus who can’t even keep the sky clear for one measly day.”

Harsh, but not unfounded. Not just anypony can be a Wonderbolt. They only accept the best of the best from what I’ve gathered. They only accept ponies who can fly as fast as they can gracefully and who are as brave as they are determined.

In translation; they only accept ponies like the Rainbow Dash from the show.

“Hey!” the (still debatable) pony in question shoots back in a huff. Her cheeks puff out too and she blushes as well, a motion I know for a fact this time didn’t happen on the show. I know it didn’t because little Ash replayed this part specifically about two thousand times back in her youth, all for one particular line.

That line being…

“I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat!”

… I still don’t know why my daughter liked that silly line so much.

Moving on; since nopony is watching me right now, I decide to use this time to take a step back. I did so so I can get a better look at the cloudy skies above. I want to make sure I can see all of it right now, and that not even a single cumulious is out of my field of vision. My reason for this? Well… Solaris can actually move the sun, Pinkie Colt can actually hover in the air without wings, and Applejack can actually knock all the apples out of a tree with a single buck…

By that logic, I want to watch it fully as this Rainbow Dash of questionable origin makes Dusk eat his next two words.

“Prove it.”

There they are.

Let the show be-

Whoose!

-gin.

...

… Jesus tap dancing Christ that was awesome.

“... Loop the loop around, and wham! Heh, What’d I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I’d never leave Ponyville hanging!”

Dusk is more statue then pony at this point; with his jaw firmly locked in place and his eyes bugging out to the point that them falling out was a legitimate concern. Frankly I can’t blame him; mine are pretty much in the same state right now. Numbly, I rotate around and watch as the pony (whose father probably made unholy love to a jet engine) performs a victory aerial lap around us overhead.

She laughs her prismatic head clear off just looking at as. “You should see the look on your face!” she chortles directly to the still petrified unicorn beside me. “Ha! You’re a laugh, Dusk Shine! I can’t wait to hang out some more.”

Choosing not to elaborate further, she performs a single corkscrew in midair and begins to speed away…

… only to stop and land near the bridge right in front of us. Something had apparently caught her eyes. Trotting up to the edge of the structure, Rainbow Dash lowers her head around a corner and then audibly grips her prize with her teeth. Yanking her head back with a snap, the object surprisingly turns out to be…

... a pretty yellow sunflower.

Rainbow must have been thinking the same thing as me, because the next thing she did with the tiny little thing was chew off the end of its stem, swallow it, and then… sits down so she can happily braid it through her mane as she hums.

…

… She flies off once again before I even have the chance to ask. Now left with a brain full of more questions than answers, and more confusion than stability, all I can think to do is…

“... Wow… She’s amazing!”

… realistically play the part of a starstruck little girl; because I honestly am one right now.

Hey! Don’t judge me! I’m entitled to have some childlike wonder in this life, okay?!

Just… wow! Ignoring the whole issue with her being a her instead of a he for a second, as well as everything else; I never knew that it was possible for any living thing short of a cheetah to move that fast! Ten seconds! She really cleared the whole sky in only ten seconds! From my spot down here, even as short as I am now, I was still able to see how the clouds in the far off distance suddenly disappeared one after another. That rainbow coattail could probably be seen for miles out! The cartoon wasn’t exaggerating! It wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest! Oh how I wish my children were here to see this with me! Ashley would have loved to watch it for sure, seeing as how this was basically her childhood, and even little Nathaniel would have gotten a kick out of the impossibility of it all at least!

And Jason…

… Oh who am I kidding?

Jason would have probably been too busy trying to get everpony to wear clothes to even notice.

Ha!

I finally decide to turn to Dusk, who is still speechless here. I’m ready for him to either mentally come to terms with the amazing mare any second now... or for him to provide for me a scientific explanation of how she’s either possible or impossible. Hehe. Turning around… I almost poke my eyes out on the unicorn’s now spiky mane.

Snort. Haha, oh goodness. I forgot all about Dusk’s sudden ‘makeover’ from a moment ago! Now why did it come out like this, I wonder… oh! I know! Dusk’s hair gel! It must have re-hardened itself thanks to the heat provided by Dash’s tornado, thus turning the mane into this odd shape. Giggling even further under my breath, I, rather sillily, give the borderline ‘weapon’ I few experimental pokes with a claw… Yup! It’s pretty darn solid! Haha!

Dusk finally moves thanks to this, leaving his stupefied form in order to stare at me blankly. After a time, which I use to continue to snicker over how ridiculous he now looks, Dusk catches me completely off guard be saying one single word.

“He.”

I stare back in silence, my laughter ceasing completely.

Gesturing his head to where Rainbow had left from, Dusk, of course with a grumble first, simultaneously admits to himself and corrects for me that, “‘He’ is amazing.”

“... Wha?” is all I can really say in the end. I turn myself away and watch as the last of Rainbow’s colorful trail vanishes on the horizon. I’m quick to point out to Dusk that, “B-but you were the one who said, that she was, and then she... her hips… Just... What?!”

“I know,” Dusk concedes with a grunt. “I know… But then I got a better look at him during that tornado... A much better look. Bleh.”

“...”

… I’m sorry, but your call to a one Barbara The Dragoness has been interrupted by the trainwreck that is her mind.

Please hang up and try again another time.

“You’re going to have to trust me on this one… Eh. Whatever. Come on, Barb. On to the next stop.”

Clipclopclipclopclipclopcli-

“... Aren’t you coming?”

“... Y-yeah, Dusk,” I finally say after a second, though I’m still trying to sort out my new feelings on this subject.

I soon realize that said feelings actually have a name.

They like to be called ‘disappointment’.

Prince Solaris’ prophetic words from this morning suddenly echo in my mind.

“... five certain stallions in ponyville…”

Sigh… I had the answer all along. Solaris gave it to me plain and simply through his Seer powers, but this Rainbow Dash was just so different and strange that I… I-I dared to hope.

I dared to hope when I should have known that there was none to be found here.

Him being a he explains away quite a bit of that rainbow pony’s weird quirks, especially the ones that made me think that he was a reincarnated person like me. He’s probably had a rather different life than Rainbow the Mare, or at least different enough to result in a pony with a slightly altered personality. Maybe his mother played a bigger role in his life here where it was Rainbow's father in the other world, or maybe he had a different foalhood as a colt in this world then she did as a filly over there. Either way, something strange and similarly one sided must have happened to him earlier in his life. Everypony else I’ve met so far seems to be exact replicas of their mare or stallion-halves, so only a really extreme event like those first few examples comes to mind as to why this Dash is now the way he is.

How he’s different is a bit easier to spot now, now that I know that he’s a he. It’s certainly not because he’s not Dash or anything, as I originally thought. He’s just a little less arrogant and hotheaded here, and a little more blush-y and giggle-y. From a tomboy to a feminine colt, I guess you could say; that’s all it really was in the end...

… Sigh… I really should’ve known better than to think that someone like him was special like me. I really should’ve known, and I really shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up the way I did. I shouldn’t have, just like I shouldn’t get my hopes up thinking that perhaps other things are different in this world as well… Like that the other two friends are mares in this dimension instead of stallions...

...

… Or that… Rarity… isn’t a stallion here too…

… Stars above, grant me strength for what comes next.

Well… we’re here. City Hall's entrance. It didn’t take us long to reach this building, not even two minutes of walking from the bridge. Just a hop skip and a jump, one could say.

It felt longer for me though, seeing as how my mind is anywhere but here at the moment.

…

… Look...

… I’m not stupid.

I’m anything but stupid.

Call me a child, call me young; call me inexperienced or foolish or even emotional. You wouldn’t be wrong in saying any such things about me right now. This is who I’ve become, truthfully...

But don’t call me stupid.

I’m not by any definition of the word.

… I remember the show... Rarity is behind these doors.

Rarity... who is now a stallion.

The same Rarity who made pretty dresses and had a generous heart.

The same Rarity who I claimed was just like my beloved husband who I miss so much.

… The same Rarity who is likely going to be the same gender as him right now.

…

… Spike had a crush on her.

I am now the Spike of this world.

Therefore, logically... I should have a crush on this pony too.

…

… Like, freaking, HELL.

I’ve been steeling myself for this day for years now; for the day that I meet a pony who is like the man I once fell head over heels for. I haven’t even opened these doors yet to confirm my suspicions, but I still know for a fact that they’re true. Rarity was pretty much Jason to a tee, after all; with only species, gender, age, and spacial dimensions separating the two from being one in the same. Now the gender and spacial dimensions parts have been removed, leaving only the age and species.

Said species is one I’m unfortunately now more accustomed to seeing on a regular basis. I’ve gotten so used to them, in fact, that I can easily read romance novels about them and no longer feel alienated like I once did before.

… This doesn’t mean I’m ready to start a relationship of my own with one. I’m not attracted to ponies that way.

… I’m not attracted to dragons either...

…

… I-I’m… I’m actually not attracted to anyone anymore.

Male, female, stallion, mare, human, pony; I, as much as I loath admitting it, am simply just too young to feel anything substantial yet. I’ve been reduced to a blank slate… Why I was even attracted to humans in the first place slips my mind from time to time.

There are days where I’ll try to picture a random male in my head. I’ll imagine all the little things about them that would always interest or excite me about them back on Earth, gather the feelings together into one big old handsome man, and ultimately feel… nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

What’s worse, I’ve been steadily seeing the signs of this affecting my mind. Meatier romance novels have been replaced with books with simpler premises, complicated relationship tales replaced with cheesy fluff, and tomes of commendable length… Well I simply don’t have the patience for them anymore for one thing.

I also don’t understand them for another.

It’s like I’ve forgotten what romance even is anymore; or, putting it into even grimmer terms, it’s like my understanding of it has devolved to a point befitting a real child of the age of seven. I… I-I once even found myself thinking about my own relationship with my husband, who I loved like the sun itself, as, in the exact words I used in that horrible split second…

… ‘icky’.

I cried the rest of that night when the thought passed.

Through my memories I remember why I loved and still love Jason, and through admittedly cheesy romance novels I remember what it means to truly give yourself to another. Why I went through the pain of bearing children, why I dedicated my life to raising them and staying by that man’s side; through these silly books I find it easier to remember my feelings. Through these feelings I continue being myself and no one else; certainly not Spike, and certainly not a child.

Though my understanding of love has regressed I will not fall prey to this body’s cry that ‘boys have cooties’, just as I will not allow the pony behind these doors to steal my heart away from Jason. If I have to live the rest of my centuries spanning draconic life as a widow, blatantly rejecting the notion of ‘till death do us part’, then so, freaking, be it.

The show does not dictate my life.

“Barb? What’s the hold up?”

“... Nothing, Dusk,” I tell the unicorn before me honestly, stepping up beside him in front of the twin doors. I pull out my checklist as he opens them with his magic, and soon we journey further inside. We’re ready to take care of the next task and nothing else... Both of us, myself absolutely included. Do your worst, world.

Bring, it, on.

“Next up,” I speak with confidence, bringing the list before me. “Decorations! Ah... Oh…”

...

“... Oh…”

“Yes,” Dusk ‘agrees’ to my statement. “The decor is coming along nicely. This ought’a be quick. I’ll be at the library in no time! Awe inspiring indeed.”

“...”

“... Barb?”

Though Dusk glances at me… I do not return the favor. My eyes are no longer behind the protection of a thin piece of parchment, but instead focused elsewhere.

They’re focused now on the tall white unicorn stallion in the center of the room.

His horn is aglow in a soft blue light as he speedily levitates banner after banner, and decorations aplenty, to their proper places. His mane is a seemingly messy pile of curled purple locks and his tail, longer than a normal stallion’s, is similarly spiraled. Three blue diamonds make up his Cutie Mark, which can be found on decently muscled hindlegs. He works out more than Dusk; that much is certain. His jaw possesses the telltale sign of a stallion, being lightly square in shape, and lastly he’s fairly tall. Not as tall as Applejack, but close. He’s at least taller than Dusk, and certainly much taller than me.

He’s also… a-also…

“...”

“Barb?” Dusk asks me again, growing concerned.

I look up at him this time, then back to the white stallion…

… With youthful speed I awkwardly shuffle myself behind Dusk’s foreleg, trying to look as tiny and inconspicuous as possible. I soon bury my head in the fur as well, shrinking as far down to the floor as I can.

“Don’t let him see me… D-don’t let that pony see me...”

“Barb?” Dusk asks me for a third time, now clearly worried. “What’s the matter? Talk to me.”

“P-please don’t see me, Jason… Please don’t see what I’ve become…”

“Who? Barb, you’re talking nonsense,” he prods, running a hoof through my spines in a calming manner. “Come on, Barbara... Come on my little assistant. Let’s get this over and done with so you can take a nice long rest at hom-”

“Hmm?” a new voice suddenly pipes up, halting Dusk’s ‘petting’ of me and leaving me frozen in place. N-no. Oh God no. It… i-it sounds just like... “Are you two back there by chance the inspectors that are supposed to come by today?”

Shakily, I lift my head up. The white unicorn is addressing us while his back is still turned our way.

“Just a moment, please!” he begs in a voice that’s both deep but elegant; clearly refined and cultured. He continues with his work a moment later, never sparing us so much as a glance as he talks with himself. “I’m ‘in the zone’, as it were. Hmmm; shine always does the trick, does it not? Why, Elusive, you are a talent!”

Finally he turns to us.

“Now, um, how can I help yo-”

His eyes are… a-are the bluest of blues. Even as they grow wide in shock, this fact remains true.

“Wha wha wha?!” the… unicorn gasps animatedly as his gaze falls to Dusk Shine and his unique mane ‘style’. “Oh my stars, my good sir! Whatever happened to your coiffure?! That can not be what it was intended to be!”

Dusk blinks at first before drawing his attention away from me.

“Oh, you mean my mane?” he asks J-… Elusive, glancing up at his own purple hair as he does. “Well, it’s a long story,” Dusk admits with a roll of his eyes. “I’m just here to check on the decorations and then I’ll be out of your way.”

“Out of my way?” Elusive replies with another gasp, hoof on chest. “I’m afraid that will no longer be possible, fellow sir! The travesty that is your mane will simply haunt me for the rest of my days if I allow it to exist for even one second longer!” The white stallion then puts a foreleg across the back of Dusk’s neck and begins to drag him across the floor. “Come along now,” he orders unwaveringly, clearly not going to take a ‘no’ for an answer.

“Wait!” Dusk shouts as I step up from out of his legs and stand to the side. “Where are we going?! Help!”

At the pace Elusive is moving at, the two of them are quickly out of sight... thus leaving me all alone in this fully decorated room.

“...”

… I eventually built up the courage to silently follow after them.

Dingalingaling

“Ah! Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, but I’m afraid that I’m a bit tie-… Oh! Why hello there, little one. You’re… Hmm… I think he said his name was Dusk… You’re Dusk’s assistant, aren’t you? Sorry for stealing him away from you so suddenly, dear, but I simply had to fix his mane. You understand, yes?”

“...”

I say nothing as I raise my head up and stare numbly at Elusive. A moment later I passively scan my eyes around the rest of the heavily tinted pink room, looking for my Charge.

“If you are looking for him,” Elusive quickly explains for me as he uses his magic to clear his show floor. “Then I’m afraid you are in for a little bit of a wait. I forced him into my shower not two minutes ago. He desperately needs it, don’t you agree?”

“...”

Again I remain mute.

… I’m alone with Elusive.

Alone with…

...

‘... They have the same eyes.’

… Shut up.

‘They have the same voice…’

Damn it to hell and back, brain; shut up and stay shut.

‘B-but they have the same expressions!’

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP

‘THE COLOGNE’

NO

‘THE AIR AROUND HIM’

NO

‘THE PASSION FOR HIS WORK IN HIS EYES, THE WARMTH OF HIS SMILE’

GODDAMN IT DON’-

‘JASON!’

Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it all to hell!!!

Huff… Huff...

D-damn it… damn it… It’s…

Sniff

… I-it’s not, fucking, fair.

It’s not fair in the slightest.

Elusive is too much like him. Too. Much. Everything about him, down to the littlest detail, is Jason in essence. He’s younger, yes, but so was my husband when we first met.

We met when he was this age himself.

All my memories of him are flooding back into me as I shakily gaze at this busy unicorn. Everything I love and miss about my beloved is slowly floating its way to the surface of my mind, leaving me nothing more then a ruined crying mess.

Sniff

W-watch. Watch it now as these tears begin to fall and as I turn away in shame. Even as a teen this would occur; whenever another was crying near Jason he’d be able to sniff it out like a shark sniffs blood in the water. Friend or stranger, it never really mattered to him.

It’s how the two of us first met.

… He was rather obtuse otherwise, and not as capable at translating others’ emotions such as anger or frustration... but crying? C-crying was Jason’s kryptonite and Batsignal, all wrapped into one.

Watch it as it proves to be Elusive’s now as well. D-don’t play dumb with me, you sick world; I now know your gam-

“Dear, whatever is the matter?”

Knew it.

F-freaking knew it.

They’re one and the same, I now know. My heart’s pitter patters are telling me as much.

‘I’m... falling in love with his stallion.’

NO!

No d-don’t do this to me! Please! Don’t take Jason’s memory away from me as well! Y-you can’t replace him with a damn horse! I WON’T LET YOU!! I still love Jason with all my heart, and he’s alive out there damn it! As long as I hold on, as long as I keep fighting to regain what I’ve lost, someday we might… I-I might… m-might…

...

‘... I’m never going to see him again,’ I cruelly tell myself cold and emotionlessly, unable to drum up even the slightest sliver of light to soften the blow. ‘I accepted this fact long ago. My daughter, my son… my love… I accepted my death and all that it represents.’

...

… I’m not replacing him.

I won’t.

… I-I don’t want to…

… Don’t make me, please...

Glump

… I suddenly find myself in the middle of a warm, fuzzy hug.

“There there,” the teenaged tailor spoke to me softly as he ran a hoof through my spines. “Whatever it is that’s troubling you, I’m sure that it will be over soon.”

...

‘…’

… Please… p-please let me summon the power to at least hate this pony. Please give me the option...

‘...’

… No? Not even a little frustration, or just the strength to growl? My heart isn’t pure; I know quite well that is contains the fire to hate another. Please let me use it now to protect my memories… Please… I can’t have used it all up ‘hating’ Solaris. There has to be a dark light left over from my early days of cursing this life… G-give me a fraction, or an inch. Give me something to work with, anything…

‘...’

...

… Fine… Be that way...

I’ll just do the next worst thing then.

… I’ll smash this illusion in a million stupid pieces.

It’ll be a simple task; I’ll just ask an equally stupid question... It’ll be stupid in the fact that I already know what the answer is going to be. My mind knows it, as does my soul, but my heart, selfish as it is, refuses to listen.

This will end up being like with Solaris all over again. This will be just like when I was forced to decide between being adopted and leading my own life or throwing it away to take care of Dusk. My heart decided the outcome of the decision that day, bypassing even my head to get what it wanted. I’ll allow it to do the same thing here; to take the reins of this situation away from me and to do the illogical with them.

‘... This will be like with Solaris again for one other reason,’ I tell my fragile self, my thoughts having caught on with my soul’s desperate plan. ‘One, agonizing, reason…’

From within this one sided embrace, I look up at Elusive.

I open my mouth for him...

"L-lyh oui ihtancdyht draca funtc, so pamujat?"

...and pour my whole heart out uttering a single line of foreign words.

‘… This will be like what happened with both Solaris and Dash; when I foolishly held onto the belief that there was another out there like me… and was ultimately disappointed beyond words.’

English... I-I had just broke through all my carefully placed mental barriers in order to speak English aloud for the first time in seven years. It unsurprisingly came out strained and possessing an Equestrian accent; this body of mine is unused to speaking in such a way, after all. I never trained my new tongue to speak it... And why should I have? It’s gibberish to ponies; there’s no other language on this planet like it from what I’ve researched. It’s structured the same way as Equestrian, the native language, but it isn’t pronounced anywhere near as beautifully.

But I had still spoken it all the same; I had spoken it bluntly in the hopes that Elusive could understand it.

In the hopes that Elusive was a human as well.

… In the hopes that Elusive was Jason, having died and been reborn like me.

“C-can you understand these words, my beloved?” is what I had just said to him, hoping beyond description for him to understand. I knew it wasn’t to be; I knew it in my head and my soul.

Only now did I believe it in my slowly breaking heart as well.

Tears stream across my face as no answer comes, and as the stallion lets go of me completely. There… I-I did it. I broke the ‘spell’. Now… look at me, pony. Look at me like a child or, better yet, as a freak. Look at me through new eyes... Look at me through eyes Jason would never use on me! Prove to me that you aren’t him so that I can be through with you forever!

Let me have my memories, Elusive. Let my husband live within them forever. I… I-I don’t need you in my life! I don’t need you to become an object for me to project my feelings onto. My heart belongs to me, and I will continue to hoard it like the greedy little dragon that I am.

I… I-I don’t need you… I-I… I have my m-memories… I’ll have them forever...

Clop

…

… There’s a hoof now planted firmly under my chin.

Forcefully lifting my head upwards, so that my eyes could see into his own, I find Elusive staring at me intently. He’s looking at me, just as I wanted… but it isn’t with a face that holds a questioning expression as I was expecting.

Instead it holds... a small and kind smile.

I blink back tears as I end up being the one to look on questioningly, unsure what’s now happening. The young stallion, in seeing this, lets loose one loud yet refined “Ha!” in amusement. Settling down from this, having apparently had his fun... Elusive finally tells me, as plainly and kindly as he can,

“Don’t go throwing the words ‘my beloved’ around so readily, little lady, haha.”

The very ground beneath me vanishes as my world suddenly stops spinning.

“W-w,” I stutter feebly, taking a single nervous step away from him. “W-what… did you just say?”

In seeing my shocked reaction, Elusive simply smirks.

Smirks...

“... Oui'na meypma du kad ouin raynd pnugah dryd fyo.”

… and then burns my entire reality to the ground.

Only chaos remains in his English speaking wake.

Entry 1, Part 4 (Chapter 9: Progression)

Author's Notes:

Dedicated to a friend who passed before his time. KHIII won't be the same without you, Ben. R.I.P.

“... Good lord, it’s like I’m trying to fit a whale into a dress here.”

“Oh hush, you. I know for a fact that you love every, square, inch of this beautiful bod.”

“Hmm, perhaps... I could always use an ‘upgrade’ though, or at the very least a model without as many... curves.”

“Hah! Hate to break it to you, hun, but they smashed my mold after I was made.”

“Hmph. Probably for good reasons no doubt.”

“Yup, good reasons indeed... They didn’t want to jinx perfection!”

“Hehe. Yes… I suppose that sounds about right, dear.”

“You bet your needle and thread it is… We good with this thing yet?”

“Just one, more, second… Aaannnndddd done. There, you have now been properly entombed in a fitting sarcophagus of fashion.”

“Great!”

Ssssssss...

“... ‘Cause now it’s time for this mummy to gather her ‘treasures’ for the next life. Come here, you.”

“Ah. It would be my honor, madam.”

Smmmmmooooocccchhhhhh~

“EEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!!”

Halting our loving kiss, my husband and I blink to one another for a time before turning towards this sewing room’s entryway. Immediately we spot a little boy’s head poking out from around the corner right as its owner attempts to beat a hasty retreat.

“Uh uh uh!” I halt the scamp with my teasing words before he can escape. “Where do you think you’re going, young man?”

“...”

… When I receive no response, I proceed to tap my high-heel shoe against the ground in a steady rhythm as I prepare myself to use the deadliest parental trump card in my arsenal...

… The dreaded full name drop!

“Nathaniel Douglas Burns,” I recite loudly and threateningly. “Do you wanna come back here right now and explain to your momma why you just went ‘Ew’ over her kissing your daddy?”

A quiet voice from the hallway eventually ‘honors’ me with an answer.

“... Fine, momma…” mutters my son as he drags his feet across the carpet; entering the room proper.

“Well?” I again ask the dark skinned, nicely dressed child before me with a huff. I keep on tapping my lady-stilt clad foot as I wait patiently for his response.

Said response is to again mumble under his breath.

“... It’s icky…”

“Hmm?” I pry mercilessly using only a soft hum and a stink eye.

“... It’s icky,” he finally admits, gaining a blush as he looks away.

“...”

“...”

“... Hehe, what?” I question these words with a soft giggle, allowing all of my fake annoyance and anger towards him to melt away. I lighten up on my teasing as well… though not completely.

Can’t change who I am, after all.

Illustrating this point, I assure my son quite clearly that, “It’s not ‘icky’, babe...” I then turn back to my quietly chuckling husband beside me. “... Right, Jason?”

Jason Eugene Burns, my beloved, nods his head once for me as he turns to look at his son as well now.

“Oh yes… it’s simply horrifying, my boy; like she’s trying to suck my very soul out of my body with her succule-”

A quick punch on the arm, provided by me, effectively knocks that nonsense off.

“I-I mean it’s a lovely show of affection that should never be thought of in such a way, Nathaniel.”

“Darn straight,” I mutter to my hun with a cheeky smile. He happily returns this by sticking his tongue out at me. I simply snort in exchange, and so does he a moment later.

“B-but you can get sick!” Nathaniel quickly points out in a gasp, effectively interrupting our flirting to show off that knowledgeable little noggin of his. “Saliva has the potential to contain and transfer thirty known illnesses and diseases a-and-”

Whoosh

Smoooch~

One slyly given kiss on the cheek later, provided by the fastest moving plus-size women this side of the Mississippi (that would be me, as an fyi), Nathaniel is now one bird-dropping away from become a real statue right before my playful eyes.

“MOM!” he stutters out, jumping away from me and quickly using his hands to rub away the ‘cooties’ I had ‘poisoned’ him with. “Gross!”

Standing back up fully, and straightening out this custom tailored dress as I do, I smile down quietly at my son as he continues to spit and gag.

Jason, meanwhile, laughs lightly in the corner as he starts to work on putting his sewing materials away. “You better not act up during this wedding today...” he jokingly scolds over his shoulder as he sorts his spools. “... when our not so little Ashley seals her vows with that Chad fellow at the alter.”

Nathaniel slowly straightens himself back out.

“I promise nothing,” is what he and I both soon retort for Jason, obviously in alternate levels of seriousness.

He snorts briefly at this as he resumes his cleaning work, and as Nathaniel cranks his head upwards in order to pout at me.

I grin at him softly as he does.

“... Sometimes we do things that hurt us out of love, baby boy,” I speak with him honestly, allowing the warmth of my heart to shine forth through my words. “We do it because it’s worth it.”

“...”

Nathaniel turns away.

“Hmph,” he grumbles, crossing his arms and lifting his nose up into the air. “Still dumb…”

I choose to say nothing at all, and instead opt to run my hand calmly through the dreadlocks atop his head in a comforting motion. I keep on smiling as I do...

… Jason, meanwhile, suddenly lifts his head up in a snap and remains motionless where he stands.

“... I sense a disturbance in the fabulouscity.”

Rolling my eyes, I take a step back as my obsessive compulsive husband moves like the wind past me to Nathaniel’s side. His critical eyes scan our son’s painstakingly styled do for a moment… before the fashionista moves a single strand of it over, thus undoing the ‘damage’ I had just inflicted upon it. “Crisis averted,” Jason reports with a thumbs up to a now dazed Nathaniel before turning to point at me. “I will forgive you this time, dear… This time. If it happens again though...”

“Divorce, hun?” I offer sweetly with an innocent smile.

“Super divorce!” he declares with a flare of his hands.

“I see,” I nod my head in a show of apparent comprehension, only serving to confuse Nathaniel the bystander even further. Compounding to his confusion; I proceed to lean down, and wrap my arms around him in a tight hug, as I tell his father clearly that, “I’m taking our son though, and I’m willing to go to court over it… That and the dishes slash silverware... But I’ll fight mostly for the boy!”

My statement is then soundly made legally binding by my highly mature, and extremely cultured, noisy wet raspberry. “Pffft!”

With a stage gasp, Jason takes a ‘frightened’ step back.

“You fiend,” my hun whispers lowly, eyes wide in ‘shock’. A second later he returns to something akin to ‘normal’ for him, though his eyes now hold a false hard edge. “... Very well. Though it pains my heart, I guess I’ll have no choice but to bear the burden of, alongside buying new dishes, only being able to watch my boy grow up from the comfort of the shadows… Nathaniel!” Jason then cries, animatedly pointing his manicured finger to the child in question. “Remember this here and forever! The fabulously cloaked figure in the stands will not be a mere lowly stranger in your eyes but instead your loving old father, fighting against a cruel and corrupt world! Remember me, my son!!”

Letting go of our now thoroughly flabbergasted little boy, I stand up again and watch quietly as Nathaniel takes a single look at his father, a single look back at me…

… and then he starts to angrily stomp his way right out the door.

“Grown ups are weird!”

SLAM!

With that declaration, Nathaniel roughly forces the door shut behind himself as he exits completely out of both this room and (in his eyes only) strange conversation. Jason and I witness this passively at first…

... but then we both soundly burst into laughter.

“Weird?” Jason asks me around wiping happy tears out of his eyes.

“Us?” I inquire right back as I do the same.

“...”

“...”

“... Naaaahhh! Hahah!”

“... Naaaahhh! Hahah!”

More chuckling and hollering then follows, leading into a cooling period where the two of us simply stand in place and enjoy each other’s company. An arm gets placed over my shoulder during this down time, bringing me closer to Jason’s side.

“... Ashley was like that not too long ago,” my hun mentions after a moment of silence. His eyes stare forward at the closed door before us.

“...”

… I shuffle closer to him, and place my head on his shoulder, in response.

“Y, y-yeah… T-t-thanks for reminding me, you, sniff, j-jerk... Sniff.”

“Oh, darling,” Jason coos to me as tears of the sad variety begin to streak across my face. He wipes these droplets away with a finger as he stares deeply into my eyes. “... We knew that she couldn’t be our little girl forever, dear. Ponies and kindergarten had to give way to dates and college eventually. And now…”

“Our b-baby is all grown up,” I sniffle weakly, turning into a sobbing wreck. “S-she’s not our little Ash a-a-anymo-…”

“Shhhhh,” Jason comforts me gently, bringing me into a proper hug. “Shhhhh... I miss our baby girl too, Barb.”

He hugs me harder as I shudder even faster.

“I miss her everyday...” he continues. “... but I love who she’s become just as much. She’s her own beautiful woman now, and one to be proud of; don’t you agree? To fail to see such a wonderful thing would truly be a shame.”

“...”

I now lean towards him in our embrace, accepting his warmth fully.

“... I ‘hate’ you so much, Jason,” is what I end up saying in the end as I snuggle with him deeply. “For always being so s-stupidly right sometimes…”

“Heh, I have my moments... ‘Hate’ you too, dear,” he snarks right back; smiling just as brightly as he holds me tightly. “Someday I’ll be ‘free’ from you and that will be a ‘happy’ day indeed.”

Now weakly smiling myself, I playfully consider these words with a hum.

“Hmmm, yes… But that’ll still be quite awhile I’m afraid, hun,” I report happily in jest. “‘Till death do us part’ and what not.”

At these words, Jason only ends up laughing harder.

“Oh please,” he snickers, pulling himself away from our hug so he can open the door for me. “You’re too heavy to float to Heaven, and you’re too big to slip into Hell... Knowing you, Barb? Ha! You’re probably going to haunt me until the day I die myself.”

“...”

I couldn’t help but grin brightly at the thought.

“Haha… Perhaps,” I chortle casually as I step forward. “I won’t argue there, hun… Hmmm… Well! I guess I better start practising for this oh so important ‘role’ than.”

Stepping through the room’s portal into the hallway; I turn to face my beloved as he held the door, offer him my own hand, and then I happily smirk to him as he accepts it and joins me in one final embrace.

“Boo,” I utter seductively.

“Ah,” Jason fakes a scream... only to then lean in closer and passionately lock our lips once again.

I accept this touch without a second thought.

For all the joys he’s brought me: for all the ups and downs and wonders and sorrows, I shall forever love this man with all of my heart and all of my soul.

Smooooocch~

May this happiness never cease for us both, and only prove to grow stronger in time.

…

...

“Oui'na meypma du kad ouin raynd pnugah dryd fyo.”

No.

“You're liable to get your heart broken that way.”

N-no…

“Hehe… What fun!”

This can’t be real...

English. Elusive… E-Elusive just spoke in English.

… He spoke it better then me.

“What fun what fun!” the pony in question continues to chuckle to himself, laughing up a storm. He soon addresses me with a warm smile. “As you can probably no doubt imagine, little lady, I don’t get to use that often enough… Thank you ever so much for the opportunity!”

“How,” is all I’m capable of choking out in Equestrian as I take another shaky step back. My tail presses up against a wall as I do, cutting off my retreat... I stare up fearfully at the sole pony in the room as I again try to demand an answer from him. “H-how do you know that language?!”

“Hmmm…” Elusive playfully considers, raising a manicured hoof to his chin in apparent thought. He soon grins...

… As he does, Jason’s image replaces his own in my misting eyes for the briefest of seconds.

“Why, I assume I learned it in the same fashion you did, dear... through regular and daily application!”

“...”

… I now find myself rendered completely speechless.

‘... Prench,’ my inner voice begins to list. ‘Griffonese, Minatuarian scripture, Zebracan, Español de caballos, Breezilian, Equestrian; even ancient Equine! I’ve looked them all up! The Canterlot Archives has them all listed! I-I’ve spent years trying to find anything similar to the English language in this world...

‘... I found nothing in return.’

…

Elusive… knows English… Pure English... Learned through application of all things…

… On a planet where it doesn’t exist at all…

...

… This can’t be real.

This can’t.

W-where’s the trick?! Where’s the ‘but...’?! TELL ME ALREADY! Don’t string me along like this anymore, you goddamn sick world! He can’t know English, he can’t be human, he can’t be from Earth…

H-h-he… he can’t be… b-be…

“J-... J-Jason?”

“Hmmm?” Elusive asks with a start, having still been chuckling to himself this whole time. Blinking mutely for a second, he quickly cranks his head downwards in order to speak with me once again. “Oh… Oh I’m terribly sorry about that; my mind was stuck in days long since passed. Did you just ask me something, miss…?” Suddenly he gasps. “Goodness me! I don’t believe we’ve ever been properly introduced! Hmph! Well, now that simply won’t do! Not one single bit... Better late than never, I suppose... Ahem!”

With the clearing of his throat, effectively starting this whole conversation all over once again, Elusive, in the hands down showiest fashion I’ve ever seen a pony do such a thing, rolls and raises his hoof to his chest simultaneously as he dips his head lowly before me. The end result is a highly refined and eloquent bow.

“Elusive Belle of Ponyville, madam,” he introduces himself with smirk, flashing his pure white teeth for me. “And you are…?”

The act causes my heart to skip a beat…

… B-but only for logical reasons, I assure you! It has nothing to do with how fancy or handsome it makes him look or anything. Really...

“... Barbara,” I eventually answer for Elusive in return; speaking as plainly as my voice can allow at the moment. I fight against the familiar urge to politely curtsy as well as I instead focus my eyes solely on the gentlecolt’s own. ‘If he is Jason...’ I contemplate as I wait on bated breath for his response to my hopefully familiar name.

Said response turns out to be a pause...

… He pauses far longer than a pony would normally pause.

“... That’s a pretty name,” the suspicious unicorn replies kindly with the exact same smile, and single nod of his head, that he had given me earlier.

My heart now races at lightning speeds.

With the long since thought dead flame of hope rekindling itself inside of my soul, becoming a painfully hot presence in my very chest; I drum up the entirety of my courage as I repeat my name for him one time more...

… My full, real, name.

“Barbara,” I speak as clearly as I can through accented English. P-please be my hun! Please be someone I know at last! “Barbara... D. Bur-”

“Bleh.”

!!!

...

… A new voice suddenly halts me.

A new voice suddenly silences me completely.

… A new voice sucks the air from out my lungs; a new voice causes time itself to slow down…

...

… A new voice reduces me to a silently whimpering child right where I stand.

‘N-no,’ I pitifully plead to the powers that be for this not to be happening; for this to just be a bad dream. ‘No no no! Not now, not now!! ’

Begging desperately, bargaining pathetically, praying hypocritically…

... all actions turn out to be useless in the end.

I knew they would be, just as I now know that there’s nothing I can do to stop what is to come. I know this to be true in my heart, my soul, and in the deepest, innermost core of my being; I know that my fate is now sealed…

… I know...

… for you see…

Clipclopclipclop

... this is too inopportune of a time for Dusk not to suddenly reappear and ruin everything.

“Ugh. Thanks for the shower, man... I guess,” my dripping wet charge complains/shows gratitude to Elusive as he enters the room proper in all his purple glory. “Could have gone about it without zapping me with your horn, but whatever.”

I’d call his timing impeccable if it didn’t piss me right the hell off.

Clipclopclipclop

Despite how much I try to will them to stay, my earlier words now fade away into nothingness on my tongue as Dusk Shine approaches us fully... I know for a fact that they’re never coming back either.

I’m not going to be able to say a damn thing with him now here, breathing down my neck.

‘Not, freaking, f-fair...’

Truer words, self…

…

… Sigh… Time is still moving at a snail’s pace around me, and it’s showing no signs of speeding up anytime soon. Frankly I should be grateful for being given these precious few seconds to organize my splintered thoughts… but I’m still incapable of doing that right now... or anything else, for that matter.

I’m still paralyzed with fear, after all.

With no real way to know such a thing beforehand, and with sure as hell no way of knowing now; Dusk Shine and Elusive Belle have somehow together managed to stumble upon the scenario that’s synonymous with my worst nightmare of all...

… They’ve somehow managed to trap me into having to choose between my past and current life.

“...”

My heart won’t allow me to speak another word, or uproot myself from this spot, because of this terror; it won’t allow me to take any sort of risk...

… Please, you must understand this one thing if you are to understand my situation. While it might sound silly to you that my body acts this way when confronted with such a, seemingly simple, choice... this doesn’t change the fact that this is still what I’m scared of the most in all of creation. More so than dying again, more so than being reborn again; losing family by not losing them physically but instead spiritually, by being forcefully ripped out of their hearts and minds by their own, free, will… Makes me shutter just thinking about it…

… It also keeps me up at night when I’m alone, causes me to quietly hyperventilate when in public, cry more the usual literally everywhere, and, when I was a young toddler still trying to regain control of her body... w-well let’s just say that I sometimes played my given role a little too embarrassingly well and leave it at that.

...

... If Elusive is actually my beloved Jason, I run the risk of being seen as a stranger by Dusk. This will no doubt cut me deeply; after all that we’ve been through so far, I’ve come to love him dearly. You need not look much further than my writings and ramblings to know this to be the truth… And if Elusive turns out to not Jason, and is instead just another human from Earth; well then I’ll be exposing myself to both him and Dusk for no real reason. This guy could be an ally or he could not be; I can’t really be certain anymore in this strange dimension. I once thought I had a good understanding of my new reality, and that I knew how things were going to play out…

Oh let me count the ways that this day has constantly proven that little notion to be false.

A single truth still remains though; the choice between my past family or my current. I can’t pursue one of these lives without losing the other, essentially, and both routes have the potential for me to lose everything all over again. I barely survived the first time I was reduced to nothing; my greatest fear of all is being forced to endure such oppressive loneliness again in this, or any, lifetime.

That is my greatest fear of all...

… because I’d view Death as my only savior in such a scenario.

...

… Even if he did fail to show up the first time…

...

… Thusly do I then, as I bite my lip to the point of bleeding, remain silent as time resumes moving forward once again... and as Dusk continues to drip all over Elusive’s floor uncaringly.

The mentioned gentlecolt has a few choice words about this particular matter.

“Good heavens! W-what do you think you’re doing?!” our host suddenly wails at Dusk, and I quickly find myself having to fight hard against a sudden, painful, wave of nostalgia as he does. S-still the same voice as Jason’s, down to even the yelling. Not fair in the slightest, world...

“Er… There weren’t any towels?” Dusk shrugs with a blush upon realizing his mistake. His eyes focus themselves entirely on Elusive as he says this; my now pathetic form is thankfully being ignored by the both of them. Nopony can see my pained expressions as I continue to fight against tears, regrets, the urge to speak, and my bleeding heart. During my battle with my inner turmoil, Elusive sputters uselessly as a result of Dusk’s words; his face is clearly displaying just how hard he’s trying to simply comprehend the ungodly levels of awkwardness that my charge is capable of generating through his mere existence.

I wish Elusive great luck in this endeavor; I still haven’t quite come to grips with it myself.

“Weren’t any-, Didn’t I tell you that the third closet from the right, past the hoof cloths… Oh, whatever!” he eventually shouts, having lost the unwinnable battle. With a huff, and a nose held firmly in the air, Elusive lights his horn bright blue as he uses its magic to grip Dusk’s ear and drag him further into the boutique. “Come,” the fashionista orders unapologetically to his fellow unicorn. “I’ll show you… And then, once you’re clean, we can come back and begin working on giving you a presentable outfit for your restored do!”

Dusk’s eyes widen thanks to this.

“W-wait!” he cries out in surprise as he’s again taken somewhere against his will.

“W… w-w… w-wait!”

This…

… t-this what I say as well as the two of them begin to leave.

My body is still shaking with fear, and my heart is still beating as loudly as a drum... b-but I still want my answers! I-I want them so badly... badly enough to act without thinking about my fears first… Damn it all...

It still gets the job done either way; it still stops Elusive in place like I was aiming for.

“... Barbara, dear,” he says to me sweetly enough, turning to grant me the same cheery smile. “I’m terribly, terribly sorry... but my muse is screaming at me to fix up your friend here! It shunt take more than a little while.”

“But,” I try to argue, not wanting him to leave; not wanting to go on a second longer without an answer to my burning questions. “B-but J-,”

“Barb?”

I’m suddenly left frozen in place all over again.

Dusk is staring at me now as well.

“What’s wrong?” he asks me innocently enough in his forced magic hold; completely unaware of the conflict he’s creating within me simply by asking.

As my heart and mind and soul wage a hellish war inside of myself for the right to take the reins, and as my body itself begins to break down into a shaking, sweating, whimpering mess...

… I stare back nervously at Dusk at first…

… then heatedly at Elusive thereafter…

“…”

“...”

“...”

… A-and then I, finally…

“... Nothing, Dusk...”

… tearfully fold.

“N-nothing at all… Sniff...”

“...”

… I can feel it through my scales as Dusk’s soft eyes unintentionally drill holes into my turned head. Clearly concerned, but lacking the information to proceed... ‘H-heh… Dusk’s relationship with me in a nutshell, fillies and gentlecolts.’ The familiarity of it grants me a little comfort, actually... but does nothing to ease up this now heavy atmosphere one bit.

“...”

“...”

“... I think my little brother left a coloring book or the like up in his spare room, little Barbara,” Elusive suddenly offers to me after a moment of awkward silence. He blatantly ignores the prior mentioned heavy atmosphere to do so... which only makes him look even more like Jason then before. The unicorn’s memory summoning smile remains strong as he continues speaking. “You may help yourself to it if you need something to do... We can talk later as well, if you so wish!”

Twinkletwinkle

He then resumes magically gripping Dusk’s ear.

“For now though... I have bigger fish to shove into a fancy suit today!”

Dusk’s intense staring of me altogether stops upon him hearing this declaration.

Elusive had unwittingly just uttered the magic, trauma inducing, word.

My charge’s eyes dilate to tiny pinpricks right before my own wet ones. “S-suits?!” he whimpers in shock as he tries to turn his head towards the tailor with the still glowing horn.

“Oh yes,” Elusive chimes happily as he resumes dragging Dusk out of the room with him. Slowly they start to leave my sight completely. “Dozens upon dozens, dear Dusk! Old and new and strange and… oh this is going to be so much-”

With that...

clipclopclipclop...

… they were gone.

This left me here with only myself… and my now screaming thoughts.

‘G… G-go after him!’

... N-no…

‘Please go after him right now!’

I-I can’t…

‘I need answers!’

B-but…

‘I deserve answers!’

Pl-

‘JASO-’

“What if he is him?!” I suddenly scream in a hush to the air around me, successfully shutting both my crying heart and shattering mind right the hell up.

‘...’

…

… Untrusting of both of my chatty organs at this time, I continue to talk aloud to the silence as I try to untangle myself from the big yarn ball of emotions I’m now unhappily ensnared in.

“W-what if he is Jason?!” I again ask to no one as I slide against the wall behind me; finally resting my drained body. “What… what would that even mean...?”

…

“...”

‘... It would mean…” my mind pipes up, starting to slowly put things back together for me. ‘That he’s… dead… like me...’

“...”

‘...’

… Then…

...

... T-then that means that N-...N-n-Nathaniel is n-now a… a-a...

“... Oh God,” I gasp in shock. “Oh God, no.”

My tears return with a vengeance as the implication of this begins to strike me harder than anything else before it.

“N-not my baby… Oh whatever god exists,” I beg through a sob, my personal religious opinions be damned. “p-please don’t tell me that my baby boy is now an o, o-orphan. P-p-please… A-anything but, sniff, t-that!”

‘Ashley is fully capable of acting as a godparent at her age!’ my brain quickly points out for me, returning to being the logic spewing entity that I need it to be right now. ‘If Jason did die, then Ashley can legally cover as a guardian if my friends can’t be godparents like they said they would! I know that she loves her little brother... and Nathaniel isn’t a child anymore either...’

“...”

‘...’

“... T-that’s still too cruel though,” I keep on crying quietly as I bring my knees closer to my chest; hugging them tightly. “He might be a y-young man now, but losing both his parents so close to each other is still jus-…”

…

‘...’

“...”

… Wait.

‘That...’

“... That’s not right.”

‘Why isn’t that right?’

It doesn't sound right for one thing.

“Why doesn’t it sound right?”

‘What am I forgetting here?’

It’s on the tip of my tongue…

“Something obvious that I’m overlooking…”

…

‘...’

“...”

… !

‘!!’

“!!!”

If he died,

‘either in the same year as me,’

“or afterwards...”

… then why is he older than me now?!

‘... then why is he older than me now?!’

“... then why is he older than me now?!”

All at once the broken pieces of myself begin to form back together, creating a cohesive (if completely scared out of her gourd) whole. I stare blankly ahead, and blink back tears, as my heart, mind, and soul try to now internalize and analyse this newly realized detail.

“He’s… older then me,” I repeat in a whisper to the empty room around me. “He’s… as old as Dusk… He’s a teenager.”

Why is he a teenager though? I died almost eight years ago…

‘He would have to have died… eighteen years ago for this to make any sense.’

“...”

I turn towards the hallway and glance at where the two unicorns had left not too long ago.

“... He’s older then me,” I continue to list the facts, not allowing my emotions to bleed through. “He’s been on this planet longer than me…

“... He… can’t be Jason then… Right?”

‘... Not… necessarily,’ my inner voice reluctantly points out as another dark fact enters the light. ‘There is another possibility here...’

“...”

… My eyes suddenly fall to the frilly lady purse draped across my shoulder.

I consider it for a time…

“...”

… before, in a rush, opening up the strap and forcefully rummaging around in it as quickly as I possibly can. Not even a second later do I find The Poisoned Barb firmly gripped in my now shaking claws. Opening it, I rapidly flip my way through the small tome. “Four four,” I murmur lowly, searching for something specific between the few used pages. “Verse Verse… ah. Chapter four, verse.”

I flip a few pages forward, and find what it is that I’ve been searching for.

“... Maybe everypony is a filly where here they are a colt,” I recite my own written words for myself, needing them now more than ever. “... or perhaps the whole dimension is simply... three minutes ahead of us... the possibilities are... endless...”

…

‘...’

“...”

… With a small slam, I softly close the book, and stare deeply at its cover, as I again gather together my wayward feelings and thoughts.

“... He’d have to be from the future,” I finally acknowledge the answer fully... though no part of me wanted to.

It’s too sad to even think about if it’s true.

“If… i-if he is Jason… then he died after me… He died lord knows how many years after me…”

‘... He could have lived out his life fully, years upon years ago…

‘...

‘... He could have lived them out happily… perhaps even with…’

…another...

"... woman."

…

‘...’

"..."

And thus my tears resume their falling.

“I-I shouldn’t hate him if he did,” I lie as I hold my face in my claws. “I-I-I shouldn’t, sniff, h-hate… I w-won’t hate him if he did. He… h-h-he had every right to be, b-be hap-”

My now selfish crying soon overwhelms me, preventing me from saying a single word more.

Clipclopclipclopclipclopclipclop

“... but regardless; it still looks much better this way, Dusk. Don’t you agree?”

“Well, yeah… but this is still just my old mane style though.”

“Oh? Then your stylist obviously has exquisite taste! You simply must give me his or her name this instant!”

“Er… It’s Gleaming Shield, but I highly doubt she’d be willing to… Barb?”

I barely move my head up to look at the two returning stallions from my spot on the floor.

Neither one of them make a comment about my now hallow looking eyes.

“... Ah! Found that book I mentioned, have we?” Elusive asks me with a laugh, beaming brightly.

“...”

I look down at my claws... and discover that he’s mistakenly referring to The Poisoned Barb, which is still currently being held in my weak grasp.

“...”

“Hopefully that can entertain you for just a moment longer, dear,” he keeps on speaking, ignoring the odd look Dusk is now giving me beside him. He soon turns to him, though his words are still aimed at me. “It’s time for the fun part, you see!”

For the third time today, Elusive is successful in completely stealing Dusk’s attention away from me.

“We don’t really have t-” Dusk attempts to escape one last time.

“Nope!” Elusive chimes sweetly, using his magic to push Dusk onto the room’s runway and levitate several stacks of clothes closer. “I’m afraid the time has finally come to make you sparkle quite brilliantly, my new friend! You have just the absolutely perfect body shape for this new line I’ve been working on!”

“B-but I have t-” Dusk argues.

“Let’s start with a this combination!” he gets ignored completely. “The gems on this undershirt will complement the color scheme of this top hat quite nicely, I think!”

“But, b-but… Ugh!!”

With that final frustrated scream, Dusk reluctantly submits to Elusive whims. It looks like we’re now on the road to perfectly recreating the cartoon’s first episode once again…

… Good.

This is a good thing.

Elusive is still Rarity. He knows English, but he’s still the same pony Twilight Sparkle became friends with. Dusk is still heading down the proper path; no major deviations have been found yet.

Everything is… fine.

Everything.

…

… My eyes wander downwards towards The Poisoned Barb.

I stare at it.

“...”

… And then I reach into my purse and pull out my pencil.

Opening to a blank page...

… Scriblescriblescrible

... I begin to write my thoughts.

I’m unsure if I should start this chapter with the words “Dear Diary.” On the one hand hoof I feel as though I’ll have many new things to write about in the near future, which would certainly justify the transformation of this journal into something akin to a diary. As the show starts in earnest, and as the adventures begin to ramp up, I know with certainty that I’m going to be granted more then enough content to fill out these pages with in the years to come.

On the other hoof though; telling my life’s story is but one of the two main goals of this journal. The other goal, one which I’d be neglecting upon turning this into a proper diary, is to educate others like myself in both the horrors and wonders of their second lives. Perhaps I can better highlight the ‘wonders’ portion through the ritualistic sharing of my day to day life, but this might end up in giving you a false image of how well my life now actually is. Spoiler alert; hell is still preferable. Regardless of what I’ll ultimately end up doing, I still feel the need to share with you, dear reader, my latest epiphany. Said epiphany is this:

You’re never going to be reunited with your loved ones.

Never.

The multiverse is too big a realm for such nonsense to happen. As romantic as the notion is to be reunited with the love of your first life, or being reborn into a lost parent’s arms, in the end these dreams are nothing but just that; dreams. For the longest time I myself dared to hope, and I dared to dream; but no more. I won’t allow myself to fall prey to such flights of fancy any longer; I won’t build myself up any further in the delusion that I will see my Jason or my family ever again. You, dear reader, shouldn’t get your hopes up either.

Neither gods nor miracles are real, after all.

Duplicates of loved ones might exist in the worlds you inhabit, appearing as horrific reminders of all that you’ve lost, but take my next words to heart; they will never be the ones you’ve left behind. The sooner you accept this fact as the unquestionable truth that it is, the sooner you will be able to finally move forward.

And I need not remind you at this point that moving forward is always the goal, fellow reincarnee Lost Soul One. Never let it not be. The moment you stop is the moment you die in this, and all, lives. I have Elusive Belle to thank for this revelation; I have him to point to as the source of my inspiration. He speaks in the same tongue as me, as I’ve discovered, and when I first met him I saw him as possibly being my husband reborn.

No longer.

He may turn out to be a human like me, and he may even be Jason as well in the end.

But nopony will ever be my Jason again.

Nopony.

My beloved is as good as dead to me now. May he live on forever in my heart.

And may I find love again someday.

“... Too… sparkly… Now go on, my good sir! You were telling me where you’re from."

The sound of Dusk’s winces of pain force my head up and out of my journal. Standing up, and stowing the book back into my purse, I watch in somewhat lighter spirits as Elusive uses his magic to forcefully try to pull a tight pair of dress pants over my charge’s hindlegs. As Dusk continues to grunt from the discomfort, and as Elusive grits his teeth from the magical strain; I find myself…

... giggling...

… Maybe I’m even smiling too... I honestly can’t tell right now. I feel numb, and tired, and I’m not really sure what to make of my life anymore…

… but Dusk is spending time with a pony who is, unknowingly, about to become a good friend of his. After this day they're going to go on adventures, save countless lives, make suits, read books, chat, hangout, go on picnics, stand by each other’s sides through thick and thin, come to understand the magic of friendship better than any other pony in history... and ultimately secure their own paths to happiness

together…

… I do know this much at least.

...

...

‘... Inhale… Exhale...’

...

... I’ve... decided on something else just now too, along with what I’ve written.

I’ve decided...

... that this event, right here and now...

… will be what ultimately leads to my happiness as well.

Yeah....

...Yeah…

...

… YEAH!

I… I get it now… I really get it! It was staring me right in the face, but I couldn't bring myself to fully accept, or even acknowledge, it. It's so simple...

... My,

life,

is,

over… And I’ve now finally decided that that’s a good thing.

Simple.

My past opportunities, my original family, my assured happiness; all were snuffed out in an instant when a kid decided to drink and drive. It was tragic... but I can’t keep mourning any longer. I can’t stay chained to old ties, less they bind me forever. I can’t keep clinging to that which I don’t have. I have to take my own advice and move forward.

So then... let’s again start anew.

Ahem…

... Dusk Shine is not Nathaniel, Gleaming Shield is not Ashley, and Elusive Belle is not MY Jason!

There… I said it. I have to start looking at these ponies differently; I have to start looking at them as their own people, and not just as replacements for my family like I’ve been doing. I now see just how unhealthy such a thing was, and how much it was reducing me as a person. I need to… move on... That just leaves one more thing than that needs to be discarded, in order for everything to be complete and for me to finally move past this day.

I have no need for it anymore, so this will be one loss I won’t mourn for.

So, again… Ahem...

...

... I am NOT Barbara Debra Burns!!

Not anymore! She’s dead, but I still live!

I am Barbara The Dragoness!

That’s all that should, and will, matter to me for now on!

I will not cry!

I will not mourn!

I will not lament this life any longer, for it is mine and mine alone!

I’m eight, not forty eight! I’m young, not experienced! I don’t have the wisdom of an adult! I don’t have a husband to hug! No children, no big beautiful body, no humanity; I have nothing substantial to my name!

What I do have is a sweet tooth for gems and chocolate! A love of reading and writing! A hilariously immature potty mouth and sense of humor! The friendship of a Prince and two lovely ladies who are stallions in another universe! I, am, awesome!

And, most importantly...

... I have the one thing that kept me moving forward; the one thing that stood as my beacon in this everlasting darkness. The one thing that shaped me into who I am today, and what prevented me from foolishly taking my life time and time again.

I have the magic of friendship on my damn side!

I, have, Dusk Shine!

BUCK YOU, my worst nightmares! You can't control me any longer!

I now choose my CURRENT life as the one I wish to live in!!

Huff… Huff…

H-... H-hehe… Haha! I’m…

... free.

I’m finally free from myself.

Slumping slightly, I sigh contently as I feel yet another great weight finally be lifted off of my tiny shoulders today. Heh... funny how you never really realize just how much you’ve been carrying until it’s gone completely.

True I still have memories of a past life, I still have a Lost One journal and diary to write, and I still have responsibilities and roles that I need to play in this life… But, you know what? That’s an awful lot for a little girl like me to worry about all at once.

Let’s take baby dragon steps, not giant woman strides, towards the future for now on.

Let’s start acting our age.

"Heh.”

Now, for the first time since entering this boutique today… I find myself smiling brightly once again. I beam as happily as I can as I resume watching two unicorns unwittingly bond with one another. ‘Hehe,’ I snort inside my head. ‘Poor Dusk; this must be a living hell for him… So funny! Ha!’

The sound of laughter now begins to echo throughout my newly cleared mind,

it triumphantly takes the place of the sobbing that was once so prominent as it does.

"I’ve…” my bestest and closest friend, who saved me from myself more times than he’ll ever truly know, tries to answer Elusive’s earlier question through his continued grunts of pain. His hindquarters are being crushed by his too-tight dress pants as he does… which hilariously raises the pitch of his voice until it’s almost a one for one copy of Twilight’s! Haha! I think I’m starting to sorta dig this cartoon world!

“been sent…” Dusk keeps trying to finish talking. “from Canterlot… to-"

"Huh?” the possibly secret human Elusive suddenly deadpans, dropping his magical hold on Dusk and allowing him to fall to the ground in a heap. “C-Canterlot?!” he gasps loudly soon after, drawing my charge’s now frightened attention. My own eyes fall on him as well as I internally laugh over his slowly growing sillier expressions of surprise. He then pauses…

... only for the fashionista to proceed to (I hope I’m using this term right) ‘squee’ in such a high pitched fashion as to make Rainbow Dash seem manly in comparison! S-snort.

"Oh, I am so envious!” Elusive admits in a proper flamboyant show of flailing his hooves and forming entrancing posses. “The opportunities, the regality! Sigh... I have always dreamed of living there!”

Standing back up, Dusk is now capable of taking an important single step back (to prevent being accidentally impaled by a horn, I’d imagine) as Elusive gets way too close to his comfort zone in order to drape a foreleg right across his withers.

“Dusk Shine, buddy old pal?” the grinning white shark formerly known as Elusive asks his now thoroughly uncomfortable friend/victim. “We are gonna be the best of friends, guaranteed…” He then frowns, giving the suit Dusk is wearing something I can only describe as being a trained death glare. “... Rubies? What was I thinking? Let me get you some emeralds!"

With this plan of action having been settled, and after disengaging the one-sided embrace in the progress, Elusive promptly heads further into his store in order to search for more gems to beautify Dusk’s attire with.

"..."

Twinkletwinkletwinkle

Said attire is promptly yanked right off of Dusk’s person with the help of his glowing horn.

"Quick!” he then yells to me as he begins to gallop off towards the door. “Before he decides to dye my coat a new color!"

Dingalingaling

The bell atop the main doorway rings out loudly as Dusk roughly crosses the threshold and dashes off into the crowded streets of Ponyville.

"..."

I, meanwhile, remain rooted in place...

“... Heh.”

... but not for too long.

Dingalingaling

The bell rings a second time as I exit soon after Dusk does, willingly leaving all that resides in that boutique behind as I do.

Elusive… English… Jason...

... There’s no need to rush things. I’ll get my answers eventually; I know I will.

"I still have my whole life ahead of me, after all,” I cheerily speak with myself as I briskly skip my way down the dirt pathway after Dusk. “I’ve waited for eight years thus far, Elusive; I can certainly wait a little while longer.”

Twinkletwinkletwinkle

"Come on Juliet!” Dusk suddenly growls at me from a nearby bridge, using his magic to levitate me through the air and onto his back. “We have to pick up the pace! We’re far behind as is here!

Rolling my eyes, and holding on tightly to Dusk’s fur as he trots, I sigh happily as the tension of the last half hour melts away completely, granting me with many reasons to smile honestly once again. “Fine, Dusk,” I answer him with my new grin as I pull out our shared task scroll once again. Though life may get strange; though it may bring with it as many fresh hells as new tragedies, I should never take for granted the little rare moments of happiness and joy that comes along with it. Their what make living it so worthwhile.

I can’t wait for Dusk to come to this same conclusion himself someday, with the help of his friends.

"Alrighty,” I soon repeat for my trotting friend, now focusing on reading over this list in my head. “Let me just see what we have left to d-”

I stop speaking, though, when something suddenly crosses my mind.

I replay the last few minutes in my head for a moment…

... only to then ask a single question aloud.

"... Did you just call me ‘Juliet’?”

Now it’s Dusk’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Oh don’t act like you don’t know,” he snarks, briefly smiling again himself… though he then turns his head backwards, towards his back, so he can give me a flat look instead. “... I saw you making googly eyes to your ‘Romeo’ the whole time back there, little lady.”

...

‘...’

"... W-what?!” I choke out in reply, turning beet red in the face. “I-I wasn’t making googly eyes at him, Dusk!”

‘Yeah! I sooo wasn’t…’

... Right?

Dusk simply snorts at this answer.

“Eh, whatever floats your boat, Barb,” he proceeds to huff frustratingly. “... To think I was worried about you too…”

"..."

"..."

"... He was kinda handsome, okay?” I finally admit for him and myself with a deep blush, pushing the tips of my claws together embarrassingly. It’s… it’s not like it’s not true or anything, I-I guess… Sighing slightly, I shyly add under my breath, “... Thank you for caring about me though, Dusk. I appreciate it...”

"Yeah yeah,” Dusk grumbles in return, concentrating instead on where he’s carrying me off to. “Focus, my little wannabe femme fatale; what’s next on the list?”

"..."

... Oh how easy it’d be for me to set his mane on fire right now... You're lucky you're cute, pony.

Though I grumble myself at this at first, I eventually clear my throat and give the list before me another quick once over. “Uh, let’s see…” I mumble. “... Oh! Music! It’s the last one!” I cheer in jubilation. Yes! It’s time for the last task and the last pony!

This means that this hellishly day is almost over!

Yay!

We’ll both get to go to the library soon after this then, meaning that Dusk will finally get the chance to recharge himself. I know from experience that there’s only so much an introvert like him can handle at a time; he needs to take breaks, less he gets irritable. Though he probably won’t outright admit it right now, he is starting to get a little cranky after all he’s been through. Relaxing alone with his books during Male!Pinkie’s ‘surprise’ party, before being forced to save the world, will definitely do him good I think! I’d like the opportunity to rest myself too, but I have a feeling that I’m not going to be able to during said party.

Somedragon has to keep social ponies away from Dusk’s room, after all.

So I’m happy right now because of this news… but I’ll also concede as well to the fact that I’m excited that we’re about to meet a soft and shy little pony like male Fluttershy finally. I wonder what his name is... Oh, wait; it’s probably on this sheet somewhere. Let’s see then… The chorus is being helmed by a stallion named... Butterscotch?

That’s…

... a really cute name, actually! Awesome!

Ahem. So, like I was saying; I’m happy that we’re about to meet Butterscotch! After the roller coaster of emotion that was Elusive and Rainbow Dash’s introductions, I’m looking forward to having something softer and quieter to deal with at last. What better fits that bill then a male Fluttershy?

If Rainbow Dash is any indication, there’s no reason for this shy little pony to not still be a shy little pony in this universe. As I’m slowly starting to realize; genders don’t really matter here too much. Yeah it changed Rainbow Dash into a femboy... but his cutie mark is still the same! That means he still flies fast and dangerously enough to make that giant rainbow explosion thing… the rain boom or whatever it was called. What that says to me is that he’s probably still that same daredevil tomboy under all that giggling and flower accessories… In that train of logic, Butterscotch is most likely still that cute yellow pegasus pony whose toy I once actually owned myself long ago.

… Hey, what can I say? I really did mean it when I said that she was my favorite. Nothing wrong with a full grown woman having a little plastic pony on her worktable; especially so when her daughter was the one who bought it for her for mother’s day.

Resuming back on point; after the emotional hell that was the meeting with Elusive and Solaris before him... I think I deserve a little break from the madness, don’t you? Okay? Okay.

Tweettweettweettweet~

The entrancing sound of music on the wind summons me from my thoughts and returns me to the now. Dusk soundlessly turns to look at me queerly over it’s sudden appearance...

... and I return this strange expression with one of my own shortly thereafter. It’s clearly birdcalls, just like how it was on the show; but I’ve never heard birdcalls quite as pretty as these ones before. They feel otherworldly, beautiful, even a little bit nostalgic... and they only serve to hype me up even further. I honestly can’t wait to meet this, no doubt, sweetheart of a pony now. To command birds that sing as amazingly and delicately as these; I can only imagine that this stallion’s heart is as pure and kind as they come. Fighting and losing hard against my (un-ironic) childlike excitement; I dismount myself from Dusk’s back and join him as we sneak our way closer to the music’s source. A row of bushes stands in our way but we, being in a wonderful ‘too-tired-to-care-anymore’ mindset, don’t see this as an obstacle in the slightest as we unwaveringly bury ourselves deeply in the hedging in an attempt to pop out on the other side. I, being smaller in stature than my charge, manage to make my way through first and lay my eyes on the yellow pegasus stallion before he can. I take in this new sight before me now...

... and my brain halts all of its higher functions as I do.

...

"... I should have freaking seen this coming,” I tiredly moan under my breath as I facepalm, and as Dusk silently pops up next to me.

"Should have seen wha-” he starts to ask me… only to then turn his head towards Butterscotch and receive his answer. "... Oh,” Dusk says after a time, unknowingly reflecting my own thoughts perfectly.

"Yeah…” I agree, lifting my claw off of my face in order to further observe the sight of the unaware Butterscotch.

Dusk and I remain standing in the bushes for a solid minute longer, simply taking in this pony in in all of his, er, uniqueness.

... Just… wow

"..."

"..."

“... I,” I begin to say, no longer able to keep this detail to myself any longer.

It’s just too strange not to point out.

“... I was unaware that ponies could even grow chest hair, Dusk…”

“I was unaware that we could grow beards that long,” Dusk retorts in exchange, still staring at the giant, lumberjack-esque pony in the distance. “... Or as thickly pink…”

“...”

“...”

… Dusk starts stoking the bare edge of his muzzle; a look of quiet jealousy flashes across his eyes as he does.

“... I wonder if I should try to grow a beard like th-”

Fwoosh!

A warning tongue of emerald tinted dragonfire, streaking across his field of vision, quickly expunges such thoughts from Dusk’s mind before they can properly form themselves together.

“Try to,” I punctuate my threat sweetly with a big old toothy grin. “... and I’ll burn it off your face in your sleep… along with everything else you love… Do I make myself clear, Dusty~?”

“...”

Dusk audibly gulps.

“C, c-crystal, Barb.”

I now smile just a tiny bit brighter.

“Good boy.”

Entry 1, Part 5 (Kindness)

Fur as yellow as the morning sun,

mane as pink as a peppy teen’s cheeks,

cutie mark in the form of three simple butterflies,

and two, large, recently preened pegasus wings resting neatly across his barrel...

… Yup, this is a Male Fluttershy alright. No question there. Yup, not a single one...

...

… Well... except for maybe one actually…

… Ahem.

Why is he so bucking terrifying to behold?!

The longer I look the more I shake... and Dusk is doing the same! This giant stallion version of the soon-to-be Element of Kindness (better known as Butterscotch in this world according to the list) is so big and imposing that he’s causing a dragon like me and a freaking archmage like Dusk to tremble. Guy-shy here now holds the trophy for being the largest pony I’ve ever met... ever! Period!

Okay, that part might seem like a stretch to you. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of tall ponies in my time; obviously. I’m barely as tall as a foal! Everypony is a giant in my eyes. Even so, in comparison to the outliers… In comparison to, say, the tall and slender Elusive?

Nope.

To the large and powerful Applejack?

Nope.

To the even larger and stronger Red Gala?

Nnope.

And... compared to Prince Solaris himself? I think they’re easily at the same eye level!! He’s as tall as a freaking alicorn prince!

And… a-and there’s one more thing... He’s a-also, like I said…

… s-scary…

He’s so incredibly imposing... Worse yet, I can’t pinpoint what it is about him that’s causing me to shiver in fright like the child I am. Is it because of his long pink beard, the one that scrapes across the ground as he shuffles about? Is it his burly pink crest of chest hair, the one that gives him an aura of power and authority? Maybe it’s his shaggy, overgrown, and equally pink mane; the one that’s acting as a concealing curtain for his eyes…

… Maybe it’s just the fact that I can’t see his eyes at all! I can’t tell his expressions or emotions without those peepers. The flat line etched across his lips can’t reveal for me his true inner feelings. As he mumbles lowly to the choir of birds before him, perched upon a dead tree branch, I can’t tell if he’s still the same sweet and shy little mare from the cartoon or instead a lumbering monster of a stallion simply trying to do his job!

Frankly I don’t want to find out...

… Good thing I have this convenient scapegoat right here then.

“Well, Dusk?” I ask my quiet charge beside me, drawing his attention away from the pony in the distance. “A-aren’t you going to ask him about the music?”

Dusk blinks blankly at me.

“... Ladies first?” he replies weakly with a half laugh and a forced smile.

I quickly decide that I’m having NONE of that nonsense right now.

“Dusk,” I repeat, my words growing frantic. “N-no. Just… no. Be a gentlecolt already an-”

“But Barb!” he snaps back, cutting me off. “I-I can’t! Just look at that thing-”

“I AM!” I interrupt this time as my voice grows louder, though never breaking out of a whisper. “I am looking, Dusk… and you know what I see? I see a pony capable of flattening me like a pancake on accident!!”

“And he can’t me?!” Dusk retorts, eyes bugging out and voice just as loud and panicked now as my own.

I point a shaky claw at him. “Y-you’re blowing things out of proportion here!”

He points an equally trembling hoof right back at me. “I’m pretty sure I’m not, Barb!”

“Solaris wants you to talk to him!”

“No, he wants someone to talk to him!”

“Then go out there and do it already!”

“No, you!”

“I’m flipping seven years old!”

“Seven and a half!”

“Oh like that actually matters! The point is that I’m a kid, Dusk!”

“Well I’m a flipping bookworm, so there! We’re in the same sinking boat here, girly!”

“What?! But, I, you… Grrrr!”

“Grrrr!”

… Easing off of our growling, we both grow quiet as we proceed to glare at one another mutely.

“...”

“...”

I then lift up a claw and stretch it out. The joints pop loudly as I do.

Pop pop

Dusk horn glows with a bright light in response. It hums with power.

Twinkletwinkletwinkle

Our glaring intensifies as the silence between us becomes palpable.

“...”

“...”

… Whoosh!

We then proceed to rush toward one another and drench ourselves in glorious battle!

“Rock paper scissors shoot!”
“Rock paper scissors shoot!”

Glorious bloodless battle!

Laying my claw out flatly proves to be a brilliant tactical decision on my part as the imaginary paper brutally covers the magically constructed rock resting in Dusk’s cupped hooves, thus granting me the win.

“... Cheater,” Dusk grumbles.

“Sore loser,” I giggle victoriously.

Extinguishing his horn in a huff, causing the illusionary construct to disapparate as well, my frustrated charge groans as he exits our hiding bush and reluctantly approaches Butterscotch. Music accompanies Dusk’s solo trek as the birds performing in front of the colossal stallion reach an impressive, and synchronized, crescendo; almost as if they were heralding the coming meeting.

The unknown stallion made no move as Dusk approaches; whether he knew he was even there was anyponies guess. His entire attention was aimed on the avian orchestra he was… conducting? Conducting feels like the right word but there was no baton in this guy’s mouth or foreleg to indicate such a thing.

Yet, lead he did. There was a eb and flow to the music in the air. This was not simply mindless bird chirps, this was honest to goodness music. I had heard that such a thing was possible here in Equestria, but beyond the tv show I had never seen such a thing myself. It's quite the sight to behold both visibly and audibly-

“Squack!”

… For the most part. This is still just a rehearsal. Mistakes and screw ups are bound to happen. That’s what the maestro is here for in the first place, to buffer out these little blemishes. Said buffering can come in many forms and techniques. Maestros will often time raise their voices to bring attention to the hiccups, to encourage change. Others provide helpful feedback either after or at the time of incident. It can almost be likened to being a parent… though with obviously more pay and the power to (legally) fire someone who doesn’t listen.

Fluttershy fixed this squawker's major malfunction, from what I can still recall, by asking him politely to sing on key which is another valid option I suppose.

Guy-shy… doesn’t do this with his birds

I have no earthly idea what he does.

I mean… I can see what he does to lead his choir clear as day, even from all the way back here. He kinda just… stares at them to get them to do what he wants. Without so much as a word the off-key singing feather ball rubs the back of his head in embarrassment before resuming properly, no incident to speak of.

… Oh yeah, I forgot the mention that the animals here are kinda smart and do human-like things like this every now and then...

… Honestly it’s the least interesting thing in my life right now, which is saying a lot.

“Um… hello?”

“Gasp! Chirpchirpchirpchirp!!”

The most interesting part is currently happening right now, as Dusk attempts to make first contact with the stallion… and only proceeds to scare off all of his bird choir. The field is now quiet.

Quiet, save for the titan pony who stands as still as a statue in response to Dusk’s actions.

Dusk is similarly as still, though with about 90% more sweating. I can hear him gulping from here.

“...”

“... Hmph.”

After what felt like an eternity, the stalemate was broken by the larger stallion giving a simple low breath.

Whoosh!

With a mighty push downwards from his left wing, Butterscotch launches himself into the air… but only briefly; just long enough for him to rotate himself 180 degrees to face the one who had interrupted his choir practice. The landing from his aerial feat shakes the ground enough to knock me onto my back. As I lay, I can feel sweat start to fall from my face as well.

“H-holy crap,” I mutter lowly as I get back to my feet. Amusingly, I can read the same words off of Dusk’s lips as well as he shakily recovers from his own tumble.

Clearing his throat, Dusk attempts to try to sound as not scared as ponily possible as he continues. “I’m so sorry. I d-didn’t mean to frighten your birds!”

He failed miserably, though to his credit Butterscotch didn’t respond one way or another to the apology. All he did was stand there and stare at the unicorn in front of him through his blinding bangs. Angry, sad, scared… neither Dusk nor I have the slightest clue what’s going on in this guy’s head right now. The silence is really unnerving.

“... I-I’m… I’m just here to check up on the music,” our officially appointed event planner tries to explain, hoping to ease whatever wrath was about to be inflicted on him for his transgressions. “It sounded b-beautiful!”

Still the behemoth was silent.

This silence continues for a few painfully long seconds before my friend surprised me by making an honest attempt to be… friendly!

“I’m Dusk Shine… what’s your name?”

Oh wow! That was unexpected… ~Sniff, My baby is growing up!

Being the philistine that he is though, obviously not realizing the sort of ungodly miracle he had just bared witness to today, Butterscotch continues on with his vow of silence.

Suddenly, the brightly colored pegasus catches both Dusk and myself off guard by mumbling lowly under his breath. “... I’m... Butterscotch…”

From the bushes I don’t stand a chance of catching whatever it was he just said, and from the look of things Dusk didn’t catch it either. “I’m sorry. What was that?” he asks.

“...”

I lower my breathing and listen real close… but ultimately I can tell that the butterfly adorned stallion had returned to being a mute. There was no other attempt at communication; no cute whimper like his filly version from the show, no small attempt… all this has taught us about this pony is that he is the strong silent type. Between him and Fluttershy, it’s really hard to see the connection.

After Rainbow Dash and Elusive I’m not surprised.

As the coast became apparently clear the wayward birds slowly return to their places and await further instruction. Seeing his out, Dusk quickly takes advantage of the situation and beats a hasty retreat. “Well, um, it looks like your birds are back,” he points out, slowly turning around. “I guess everything’s in order. K-keep up the good work!”

Butterscotch says nothing as he watches the only other pony in the field start to leave. I watch Dusk for a second longer before I walk out of my bushy hiding spot and regroup with my friend. “Well… that was easy,” Dusk Shine retorts sarcastically to me as it appears our work here is done.

I really want to slap him for his poor choice of words.

After having accidentally summoned the dark powers of Murphy's law into the realm by the careless utterance of his words, Dusk and I suddenly find ourselves unable to react as what feels like a flipping earthquake starts to rock us. We’re thoroughly rooted in place by the event. As we are I suddenly gasp, and my partner slowly turns his head to bare witness to the same horrifying sight that's currently plaguing my own vision.

The sight of a half-ton stallion charging at us at full gallop.

With unicorn horn quickly igniting, his mind clearly being thrown into fear induced overdrive, Dusk attempts to form the magical shield spell his older sister taught him long ago… but it appears as though he doesn’t have the time or presence of mind to form the thing up fully. Butterscotch stampedes on through what little of the pink shield formed like it’s rice paper, and knocks my charge to the side without even so much as flinching. As he continues, it becomes quickly certain that the our resident nerd was not his target and that instead that honor belongs to… well, the only other being here!

“Barb!” cries Dusk from the ground, trying to quickly stumble back to his hooves.

My heart races as the trembling of the earth knocks me down yet again, and I’m forced to watch in horror as the being more train then pony barrels towards me at frightening speeds. My mind races; every scrap of higher brain function and useful show knowledge escapes me as he draws closer and closer. Every step seems to take years off of my life as my fear grows and grows and grows

Until it’s too late to do anything about it.

“Dusk!” I scream, raising my claws to my face in one last pathetic attempt to save myself. Closing my eyes, I wait for the end.

…

…

…

… I slowly open my eyes again once if becomes clear that the end had not come for me again.

Trust me, I’d know if it did. That’s not a feeling you forget after the first time.

The world I found myself in again was similar to how it had presented itself to me not two minutes ago. It was quiet again, with nearly a chirp, shake, or a quake to disturb it. The most I could hear was simply the pounding of my heart in my ears. Despite this, the world was still as scary as it had just been due to my vision being filled with a waterfall of pink hair.

Butterscotch, despite being the lumbering equine that he is, seemed to be in good control of his actions as he was seemingly able to stop all of his forward momentum in an instant. This allowed him to be able to get close enough to me to allow his head to dip low enough to be on eye-, er, on face level with my own. With his new vantage point, the stallion resumes to do much of the same thing he did when we first found him; stand and stare quietly.

In the silence, I try to catch my breath as my heart tries to slow itself for me. My guest waits patiently as I calm down, my best guess being that he is waiting on me before he continues.

My assumption proves correct for, after a solid minute of me trying to return to normal, he raises one of his massive forelegs up and forward. I flinch as he does. This causes the pegasus to pause for a brief moment before he moves his leg again. It quickly becomes apparent as he moves that he was not about to crush me with his tree stump of a leg. In fact, it wasn’t being moved for my sake at all. Butterscotch took his leg and brought it to his own face…

… so that he could part his mane and see me fully with one of his eyes.

One of his big, blue, innocence filled eyes.

“... A baby dragon!” he finally speaks, putting his whole heart into his words as his mouth opens wide in childlike amazement.

It suddenly feels like the entire section of my brain that is dedicated to managing my emotions was just struck with a case of whiplash...

… for like the fifth time today.

Sooo... this stallion just spoke those three simple words in what I can only describe as the cutest little baritone voice I’ve ever heard before. It’s like an untrained singing voice; it has no sense of authority in it and has no business being with this body type… yet it kinda works in a “This man is going to crush you dead, yet you’re not going to be too angry because it’s clear that he just wants to do his best” kind of way.

Weird, but it works.

What doesn’t work is him trying to gently flap his wings around me so he can get a better look. The wind alone knocks me on my back again, and in seeing this the smaller-in-heart-but-not-in-body pony blushes and tries to gently land. “I’ve never seen a baby dragon before!” he explains in a cheery tone. “She's so cute!”

Assuming he’s talking to Dusk, I look over to him only to find him still on the ground and wearing the same sort of confused look that’s probably on my face right now as well.

I nervously laugh a little over the absurdity of it all. “W-well,” I state as casually as I can. “He’s not wrong!”

The tiniest, most too-good-for-this-world gasp leaves the gentle giant’s mouth upon hearing this. “It talks? I didn’t know dragons could talk! That’s just so incredibly wonderful… I-I don’t even know what to say!”

You and me both buddy.

~Twinkletwinkle~

My scales begin to itch slightly with magic as a familiar feeling of weightlessness overtakes me. One quick uncontrolled float through the air later and I soon find myself deposited upon Dusk’s back. Little rude there buddy...

“Well,” Dusk starts, quite ready to get the heck out of dodge as soon as he can. “In that case, we better be going.”

With a clip and a clop Dusk starts to head on down the path with me in tow, though Butterscotch was clearly not done and begins to follow us slowly and deliberately. With his massive legs, it took little effort to keep up with our ‘retreat’.

“Wait, wait,” he begs as he follows, uncaring of the small tremors he leaves behind with each step. “What’s her name?”

Well… as admittedly weird as this is and as admittedly weird as this pony is… it’s pretty easy to see now that, despite my earlier claim, this really is this world’s Fluttershy. It’s fascinating to see the differences, but the similarities are also much welcomed right now.

Especially after the last two.

“I’m Barbara,” I reply with a smile, taking the burden off of the annoyed Dusk’s nonexistent shoulders. “Friends call me Barb.”

“Hi, Barb,” he replies sweetly, a little shy over talking to me directly. “I’m Butterscotch.... Wow, a talking dragon.”

I giggle over the earnestness in the properly introduced Butterscotch’s voice. There’s no fake pleasantries or fake enthusiasm here; this big sweet colt is just as excited to be talking to me as little Apple Buck was. It really warms my heart…

“And… what do dragons talk about?” he asks me sincerely, his eyes obscured but his voice true.

“Well, what do you want to know?” I offer.

“Absolutely everything.”

I can feel Dusk’s back muscles tighten up at this question, fearful of what is going to happen next.

He spares me a quick glance, looking for a response. I spare this a thought in return…

… before smiling wickedly.

Dusk Shine groans as he continues to trot, resigning himself to his coming fate. Hehe, sorry Dusk. I love you… but after the hell that was this day, I think I deserve a little R&R, don’t you?

“Well,” I begin. “I started out as a cute little purple and green egg…”

I do love sharing my Tale, afterall~

Author's Notes:

Message for new reader's; this chapter was cut in half from the next for pacing sake.

The rest is for those who waited three years for this.

Thank you all.

When I put down the pen for this tale back in 2015, it was because I had just left college and needed to focus on other things like starting a career and figuring out where I was going to live. What started as a quick break quickly turned long as... well... life happened. Simple as that. Life is STILL happening to be perfectly honest, but that's going to be a fact forever so what makes now any different?

Well, what's changed now is that, after some long soul searching, I think I've finally figured out WHY it is I write. My art is, and has always been, a distraction from both my anxiety and my boredom. There is nothing wrong with this, and in excepting it I can now see what it is I need in order to kick-start this back up. I want to shout out a lot of different people, but I want to limit it to at least Cantankerous whose last comment on the story last month reignited my own interest in continuing.

Now I need your help for continuing this;

Tell me... what is the one thing you each want to see more of in this story going forward? What is it about this tale that brought you back here three years later? Was it the characters? Their interactions with one another? I'm really looking forward to the next chapter where the guy six members get to bounce off of each-other a bit :)

Was it the comedy? The angst? Do you just love the flowery way I write things? Please let me know! After the two part primer episodes are done we'll be going into a more episodic format to better fit the show itself. There will still be an ongoing story exclusive to Barb and this cast, and a few episodes will also be unique to this world and NOT part of the show itself... but I really want to make sure these chapters will be filled with what YOU guys want. That's how the first book was written after all, with all of your feedback. Whether I'll be able to do that chapter a week thing I did last time is still up to debate but, well, I want to be optimistic.

I'll see you again soon

~Derply

Entry 1, Part 6 (And Magic...)

“... and that’s the story of my whole entire life!” I finish triumphantly. Phew! That took awhile, and unlike last time I told this story I didn’t shed a single tear! Yay baby dragon steps! Granted, I might have slightly altered it a tiny bit… and abridged it… and erased every mention of humans and reincarnation... and reduced the angst by 50% for good measure…

…

… Well Butterscotch enjoyed it either way. That’s all that matters. That and it most likely annoyed cranky-pants Dusk Shine too. Any opportunity to pick on my favorite Equestrian nerd is a bonus in my book~

I think back to my last spoken words as I regain my thoughts. Seeing an opportunity, I quickly add “Well… up until today at least. Do you wanna hear about today?”

Butterscotch’s smile grows larger at the suggestion. He’s been such a good audience so far; never interrupting, never judging, and no questions asked which I especially like. I thought there would have been one or two with my purposely vague mentioning of being ‘trained’ by the Bluebelles… but on second thought maybe he’s more entranced by the sheer novelty of a dragon talking to him then the actual story itself...? Well, whatever the case, he’s not hurting anyone so I really shouldn’t complain. He didn’t even step on anypony!

I’m especially impressed by this fact.

Despite his largeness, Butterscotch has really good control over his giant gait. He's been able to fluidly move through the crowds of Ponyville as if he were half his size. It also helped that most of the townsponies gave the burly pegasus a wide berth as he strutted along. Nopony was particularly rude, thank goodness, but they certainly weren’t as friendly to him as they were when it was just Dusk and I. If this bothers Butterscotch at all I can’t tell. His muzzle is really the only thing about his face that’s expressive. I wonder if Elusive will try to fix those bangs of his when they start doing those spa days like in the show…

… Wait. As guys, would they even still go to those? What would be the guy equivalent? A bar? It’s probably a bar… which I will not allow Dusk to set hoof in yet thank-you-very-much. He’s much too young!

… Says the kindergarten aged dragoness... *Cough*

“Oh, yes, please!”

I blink a few times at Butterscotch’s energized reply before remembering what I was doing. I was about to tell him about my day, right? Right… well, let’s go! I take a deep breath and then, Huh wha-

“Gyah!” I gag on my air in surprise as I'm myself forcefully turned away from my audience. Dusk Shine had about faced so he could face Butterscotch himself.

“I am so sorry,” Dusk says a tad louder than need be, taking over the conversation so I can’t purposely extend it. “How did we get here so fast? This is where I’m staying while in Ponyville!”

Unintentionally having been brought to look at what's being referred to, I draw my attention away from the two young stallions and am quickly greeted by the sight of a familiar looking treehouse.

Golden Oaks Library; one of Ponyville’s few famous landmarks, according to Dusk Shine. Grown and Owned by an eccentric unicorn who was cast out of Canterlot around the time of the villages founding, it was only made open to the public a number of years back when the last of said unicorn’s surviving family left the place abandoned. This relinquished all claim to the books that remained behind. It was because of this sudden boon, and because the town lacked a proper one before this, that the whole place was quickly converted into a library for the local ponies. Rumors circulated as a result though; rumors that secret tomes lie hidden inside behind forgotten doors and secretive compartments...

… Yes, Dusk told me all of this prior to us coming here. No, he had not studied about it in the incredibly small window of time granted to us between the Princes’ rejection letter and our departure. Instead, I am actually recalling this information from a time when I had suggested for Dusk to go on a vacation. In the face of such a audacious suggestion, my charge instead spent his limited free-time researching possible libraries to visit instead of actually visiting them himself.

Boy I sure do love him with all my heart, but good gosh is he such a freaking los-

“... And my poor baby dragon needs her sleep!”

Wait what

“No I don’t,” I start to say, being brought back to the present. Before I can get the words out though I’m unceremoniously tossed off by my ‘trusty’ steed. “Eep!” I squeak as I hit the hard ground.

Making a large show out of it, obviously hoping to chase away the only other stallion in our small group, Dusk leans in close to me and starts baby talking loudly. “Aww! Wook at that! She’s so sweepy she can’t even keep her wittle bawance!”

“And neither will you after I burn off your stallionhood, Dusty Wusty~”

Okay okay okay... That’s what I really really wanted to say in response to… whatever the hell that just was... but I only manage to give my so called friend a stern look of disappointment before I’m gently scooped off the ground by a pair of surprisingly gentle (though very very very hairy) forelegs. “Oh the poor thing,” offers Butterscotch with a voice full of concern, though his face remains neutral. His wings flap cautiously as he cradles me softly as if I were his own.

My cheeks begin to burn as it quickly dawns on me that, due to my age and size, the baby comments and teasing suddenly feel well justified.

Heedless of my embarrassment, the kind hearted pegasus carefully maneuvers his massive frame through the library's main entrance and carries me with him into the pitch black darkness within. “You really gotta get her to bed,” he calls out to Dusk through the door in what I can only assume was his loudest voice.

With a small gasp and a quick gallop I watch as my unicorn friend pushes his way into the library as well, and carefully around Butterscotch, in order to reclaim me from the infantile hold I find myself trapped in. Once I’m levitated back down onto my feet, Dusk proceeds to use the larger stallion’s confusion against him to trick him into backing up and out of our sleeping quarters for the night.

“Y-yes yes!” my ‘rescuer’ retorts, distracting the pony now outside the front door. “We’ll get right on that… Well, good night!”

SLAM!!

Completing his goal of both disrespecting Butterscotch’s feelings by slamming a door in his face, and disrespecting the fact that anypony can see that it’s not night yet, Dusk breathes a sigh of relief before trotting over to me. Though I can tell from his body language that he regrets what he’s just done, I refuse to give him an inch as I cross my arms and try to look as disappointed as I can in the dark.

“Rude much?” I ask plainly, allowing my companion to come to a conclusion himself over what I’m particularly mad about.

It’s the part with Butterscotch in case you’re wondering, though the baby-talk is a close second.

“Sorry Barb,” he replies remorsefully, his honesty evident in his tone. “But I have to convince the Prince that The Nightterror is coming, and we’re running out of time!” A sliver of panic leaks out of the spooked pony’s mouth as he admits this last part. At hearing this I uncross my arms and start to feel guilty all over again. I’m hiding so much from him...

“I… I-I just need to be alone so I can study,” he practically begs me, hoping beyond hope that theirs a way I can grant this to him. “Alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time to distract me!”

I cringe as Dusk practically spits out these last few words, and I can feel my heart tightening as he does. His rant causes a miniature civil war to spark within me; one side wishes to tell him that everything is going to be alright and to take him far away from this chaos, so I can grant him the quiet that he so desperately seeks. I can’t stand to see him so distraught like this… but here is where the other participants in this inner battle come into play.

They represent the side that remembers what Dusk stands to gain by enduring these ‘hardships’.

They remember the Magic of Friendship.

They remember Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Butterscotch, Pinky-Guy-Pie… Elusive…

… and they remember a happy, better pony; a better Dusk Shine.

“Now... where’s the light?”

I wish for all of this and more for him, no matter the struggles. I can’t baby him through this; he needs to face these challenges bravely!

“SURPRISE!!”

“Ahhh!!!”

… He also needs to not scream like a little filly when he gets spooked.

That’s my bit.

And scream we did as the room dramatically bursts into life; as an explosion of lights, confetti, and party ponies consume our vision. Though I’m mostly prepared for it mentally due to my fading knowledge from the show, I imagine that the combination of a surprise brightened room plus the cries of a plethora of different ponies would be enough to rock anyone off their feet.

I also imagine that a firepony would take one look at this party and swiftly have it canceled due to it blatantly ignoring the maximum occupancy fire code.

Like, seriously! There’s barely enough room left for anypony or dragon to move! What little space is left for traversing is covered in streamers and string and all sorts of other colorful party paraphernalia. Not many ponies seem to care though, from what little I can see from my nonexistent vantage point. Everyone’s either stuffing their face with food, talking amongst themselves about tonight’s festivities, or trying to approach the two of us to say hi.

Dusk’s clear frustration shifts into a look of pure fear as the latter group of ponies draw ever closer to him.

None make it a step further as their fastest, loudest, and pinkest member of all zooms on past them and just as quickly introduces himself to my little shaking horse.

“Hi I’m Bubble Berry!” the fluffy pink stallion welcomes Dusk the statue with all the enthusiasm of a child being told that their birthday now fell on Christmas… and that Christmas will henceforth be celebrated every flipping day. “And I threw this party just for you you you!!”

Recognition dawns on Dusk’s face as the hyperactive earth pony continues his vicious assault against his personal bubble. He must be remembering back from when we ‘met’ him this morning; back when Dusk had way more patience for strangers then he does right now…. Granted I don’t think even I would have much patience if a random pony started jumping all around; hounding me with questions on whether or not I was surprised.

“Very surprised,” answers Dusk to this query through gritted teeth. “Last I checked, libraries are supposed to be quiet.”

“That’s silly!” Bubble retorts plainly with a chuckle as his new ‘friend’s’ words either flew right over his head or simply got caught in his massive puffy mane. “What kind of welcome party would it be if it were quiet?!” He shakes his head, grinning all the while. “I mean, duh! Bor-ing!”

Having clearly had enough, Dusk attempts to walk away from the pink colt’s apparent insanity to no avail.

Bubble Berry is nothing if not insistent though, and trots alongside him in perpetual good cheer. No breaths were taken or bucks given as he continues running his mouth. “You see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all, “Hello.” And I was all gasp! Remember?”

Dusk marches on, refusing to acknowledge his traveling companion with every fiber of his being. As I watch from the back, quietly following them to the refreshment table, I appear to be the only one noticing Dusk’s eye beginning to twitch ever so slightly.

After a second look around at our surroundings, I quickly redact my last statement; I appear to be one of the few here noticing Dusk’s spazzing eye and still remaining close to him. The patrons of the party are keeping their distance from the guest of honor, most likely for their own safety. A potent killing intention is radiating off of Dusk’s being, signaling not only that he has finally hit his breaking point but also that an explosion of pure anger and malice was about to detonate on the next poor unfortunate soul foolish enough to push him any further.

“You see, I never saw you before,” continues Bubble, the designated poor unfortunate soul for the evening. “And if I never say you before, that means you’re new! ‘Cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony, in Ponyville!”

Groans emanate from Dusk’s throat as he finally makes it to the concessions table. Too tired to bother with his magic, and too tired to read what it was he was picking up, Dusk grips the first bottle on the table in his muzzle and pours it sloppily into an awaiting glass. You can’t drink your problems away, Dusk; pretty sure Prince Solaris taught you this lesson already after the Finals Week Dr. Peppercorn Incident…

“And if you’re new,” Bubble Berry resumes, though in all honesty he never really stopped. Breaking up his constantly charging Welcome Train with bits and pieces of what’s going on around it is about the only thing I can do to stay just a tiny bit saner then Dusk Shine at the moment. Being a narrator is hard… “You hadn’t met anyone yet. And if you haven’t met anyone yet, you must not have any friends!”

Pony you have no earthly idea.

“And if you don’t have any friends then you must be lonely. And that made me so sad. And I had an idea! And that’s why I went gasp!!”

He breathes, fillies and gentlecolts! By the powers that be he breathes! It’s a miracle!

In response Dusk takes a sip of his drink through a convenient straw.

“I should throw a great, big ginormous, super-duper, spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville! See? And now you have lots and lots of friends!!” finally finishes the great party planner Bubble Berry. Unbeknownst to him, or perhaps instead perfectly timed, the four other stallions Dusk and I had met today stand and float beside Berry, nicely illustrating his point.

Having just spent all of this exchange in silence, racking my brain to remember how this part of the show originally went, everything clicks together in my mind as Dusk chokes on his drink. I’m left unsurprised as he turns around to face the group with a quickly reddening face. As sweat starts to drip from his face, Applejack, who lacks the same benefit of ‘seerer’ powers as I do, asks “Are you all right, haystack?”

A high pitched whistling sound is the country stallion’s only response as Dusk’s mane and tail bursts into a raging inferno. A few of the party-goers spare the odd scene a glance before discreetly taking a few steps back. After a few seconds of panicked prancing and gasping, the flames adorning his body revert to mere strands of hair as he gallops angrily out of the room for what I can only hazard a guess to say is for water.

For a time the room is silent, save for the record player in the back.

“... Aww! He’s so happy he’s crying!”

With that baseless claim from the pink host, the party around us smoothly returns to normal. This really wasn’t an odd sight to see, all things considered. Embarrassing, yes; but not all that out of the ordinary. It’s well documented in Equestria that pony manes and tails are directly linked to their owner’s source of magic. They’re an extension of this source and are the reason why they can come in all variety of colors and designs and why magic itself can’t be used to regrow them. Temporary conjurations of mismatched beards and mustaches? Hard, but not impossible. Anything involving the area directly in contact with the brain, hooves, or the excess magic dispersing tails? Not going to happen. Dusk and I learned that the hard way during a rather infamous dinner with his family that involved sticky cheese...

… I got a little off topic. As I was saying; the fire thing we just witnessed? Totally normal. It happens with unicorns every now and then in response to high emotional stress. This is like the third time I’ve seen it happen with Dusk in my life so the surprise of it has really warn off now. You should see the ice version of the phenomenon; it's pretty.

Enough about that though. With Dusk now gone, I take the opportunity to sneak a quick peek at the bottle my friend had grabbed earlier. Yep, it's just as I remember it. “Hot sauce,” I finish for myself aloud, taking note that it was listed as the mild version of this particular brand.

Heh, what a drama queen.

A sudden hoof pressed against the bottle in my claw ejects me from my pondering. I unthinkingly release my grip, allowing the bottle to be tipped completely and pour out it's contents on a previously unmolested cupcake. Said cupcakes finds its way into Bubble Berry’s maw and soon it’s thankfully short existence is brought to an end.

“What?” he asks the staring ponies with mouth full, spewing crumbs everywhere. “This is good!”

The other stallions present shake their heads, but still smile at the pony’s good cheer.

I find myself smiling too… and then my mind goes blank.

What… what happens now?

I think the show next goes on to follow Twilight in her room when it’s at night, and when it’s only a few minutes away from the scheduled sunrise.

But, the sun has only just set. That’s hours away!

So… what should I do now?

…

… Well… Maybe a nap? It would be hard with this party raging on, but I want to be nice and awake for the sun rising later. It’s important that I stay awake; I made a promise to myself long ago.

I promised myself that I’m going into that forest with the others tonight, no matter what.

From what I can still recall, Spike falls asleep in the show and can’t lend a claw to help out. He’s a secondary character in a show about ponies so I understand it from a narrative standpoint. He’s also a child who stayed up too late so it makes logical sense too. I’m a kid as well, yes… but I’m also not Spike. Thusly I will aim to stay awake. It’s true that Twilight Sparkle and her friends were able to beat Nightmare Moon on their own but, not unlike me… Dusk isn’t her. Dusk is his own pony… he’s my pony… S-sure I have every faith in him that he could accomplish the same feat! And I promised not to baby him… but what if I did the wrong thing when it came to being his assistant? What if I failed to schedule him in for an important lesson that resulted in him not being as trusting of others? Or what if I handed him a book Twilight didn’t read before, filling his head with new ideas which he implements tonight causing a domino effect that ruins the whole expedition?!

… Or what if I sneeze and cause him to say 'gazuntite' which makes him lose his place in a book that was about surviving in the wilderness?!?!

Nope, that’s it; my mind is settled. My mere existence screwed up the natural order of things. In penance I will journey with him and set right that which I set wrong.

And it's plain to see that I am not overreacting about this in the slightest.

Yup. Not one tiny, little, bit.

…

… I wonder if Bubble Berry was right about this?

One hot sauce drenched cupcake later, I discover that he… was actually spot on, holy crap.

“Wow,” I remark after swallowing my shockingly good treat.

“I know, right?” chimes in Bubble Berry as he slides up next to me. “I wanted to serve them this way by default but Applejack told me no.”

“And ah will again,” adds in Applejack as he steps up to the table. “No...” The farmer then turns to look at me, beaming nicely as he does. “Pleasure to see you again, little lady. I don’t think I got the opportunity to say hello to you too this morning...” Placing his stetson over his chest, he tips his head towards me lightly. “Mighty sorry about that.”

I offer the stallion a content expression before explaining that “It’s fine Applejack. Your sister and brother gave me a proper Apple Family welcome of their own…” A thought occurs to me as I mention this. “Are Red Gala and Apple Buck here too?”

Applejack makes the attempt to answer, only for Berry to cut him off. “No, but I invited them! Guess they just wanted to be party poopers like the rest who didn’t come,” he finishes with a pout.

The other stallion grunts at this. “BB,” he scowls, looking directly at Bubble Berry. Maybe a nickname? “Ah told you already that they’re back helpin' the rest of the family get situated, just so ah could even come to this party at all!”

Like a spoiled child, BB crosses his forelegs and keeps pouting.

“But I invited everypony Applejack! Doesn’t mean they couldn’t stop by to say hi… party poopers.”

“Now quit calling them that!”

"..."

"..."

“... Poopers of parties. Their undies are filled with shattered dreams and confetti....”

Applejack growls. “Why you little…”

As this argument starts to ramp up and kills my appetite, I stealthily back up away from the snack table.

Well… colts will be colts I gues- "Umph!"

"Eep!"

Soon it becomes apparent that my boy troubles weren’t quite done yet as my silent retreat results in me backing up into another pony.

The blue, rainbow mane colored pegasus turns to face me as I do the same for her.

... er, him, I mean. As I do the same for… him...

... I have to heavily remind myself that, despite him clearly looking like a mare who cares about her appearance, Rainbow Dash here is a stallion according to Dusk. I should remember to treat him as such… unless he tells me otherwise.

Not given the opportunity to contemplate on it further, Rainbow snorts lightly as she exclaims “Opps! Sorry for being in your way here, filly.”

“N-no no, Rainbow Dash!” I hurriedly reassure, trying not to embarrass myself any further. “It was my fault, I wasn’t looking where I was going h-hehe…”

“Heh,” he laughs back. “No biggie… Hey,” he then says as he leans in and observes me closer. “You’re Dusk’s friend, right?”

“Um, well…” I softly hum, trying to formulate my next words carefully. “Dusk doesn’t really like that word. I think of him as my friend, but I play more of an assistant role for him.”

“Assistant, huh…” he mulls this over for a bit. “So… do you think he’s going to come back downstairs later tonight?”

“Knowing him, probably not.”

Rainbow sighs at this.

“Well that’s too bad,” he goes on. “Kinda wanted to see about getting him to come out of that shell a bit before you two head back to Canterlot.”

My mind goes blank at this.

“... How-”

“Did I know that he’s a shut-in nerd with a stick up his plank who rarely sees sunlight on any given day?” Dash interrupts, smirking brightly at me as my eyes grow as large as saucers.

Unaware, or perhaps totally aware, of my confusion, Rainbow Dash stretches his wings and lazily floats in the space in front of us. “I see a lot of stuff while I’m flying,” he elaborates in a proud tone. “And I figured out a long time ago that my brain records everything when I do. It’s honestly the only reason I passed flight school, hehe...”

He... passed flight school? Wasn't mare Rainbow a dropout? I vaguely remember that being brought up when my little Ashley tried to skip school one day...

“So,” Rainbow goes on, his voice still full of pride. “Because of my awesome powers, I can remember his poor attitude and pasty skin vividly, filly!” Another laugh. “Classic nerd traits! I see it all the time when I fly by Canterlot’s Art District.”

My brain feels like it's running a marathon just trying to catch every morsel of information being offered right now. “You’ve been to Canterlot?” I inquire, deciding on this being the part I want to focus on right now.

“Phsh~” Dash whinnies before pointing a hoof at his backside. “I got wings, remember? Sure it takes a little while to get there, but Canterlot is the only place I can pick up new copies of Dashing Dare early! It takes forever to show up on Ponyville’s shelves…”

“YOU READ DASHING DARE ALREA-”

Rainbow Dash cocks an eyebrow as I slam a pair of claws over my mouth, having enough presence of mind to not finish the ‘already’ part of my statement. An eye twitches as I do.

H-holy crap this Rainbow Dash reads this world's Daring Do books already.

H-h-holy crap that’s already one of the few episodes I remember that’s probably not going to happen anymore.

H-h-h-h-holy crap that changes this character drastically.

H-h-h-h-holy, momentous, crap

This, to my great surprise, is the straw that breaks my camel's back; it's in this moment that the weight of the entire day comes crashing down all around me. Solaris knows I have 'visions' of the future, Elusive knows my native language, and now Rainbow Dash is on a whole different reading level from his show counterpart?! And nothing he's doing is lining up with what little I can recall about the original pony! How is this going to change tonight's events? How is all of these factors going to change the show's events?! I just wanted to follow the trail laid out for us as closely as possible so we could survive the three world ending events I know are coming up, and so we can survive whatever else happens after that!

I don’t know how to deal with this anymore!!!

“... Er… yeeeesss?” Dash follows up in confusion to the question I guess he interpreted my outburst into being. “I do read Dashing Dare. Well… I only really got into it after flight school when I didn’t have those boring textbooks to read anymore.” A feminine giggle slips. “I actually used to not read at all, but when I was younger… well it’s a long story, hehe.”

“That's nice,” I reply numbly as my brain slowly turns to oatmeal at the revelation. “... I like your flowers.”

Now it was Rainbow’s turn to stare blankly at my sanity saving attempt to change the subject, though it only lasts for a moment before he realizes that I was referring to the ones braided into his multicolored mane. The one from this morning was still in there, but a few different colors and varieties now joined it as well. “Oh! Thank you! I picked them out myself.”

Hovering slowly in the air, the stallion shares with me how the earthly accessories were spread out throughout his long mane and even on his tail.

“I found daisies, petunias, and lilies in a bunch of different colors throughout the town today while I was flying. I have a different shade for each part of my mane. See, I have this orange petunia on the blue patch, and this red one is on the green; opposites on the color wheel!” he giggles again. “Well, as close as I could get. It’s sort of supposed to be a rainbow on top of a rainbow… on top of me, Rainbow!”

Landing back to the ground, Rainbow Dash rubs one of his hooves against his foreleg as a slight red tint glows on his cheeks.

“D-do you think it works?” he asks me sweetly, his early confidence fading slightly.

“...”

… Rainbow Dash… I have no idea what in this crazy world your existence is going to amount to. I don't know if it will enrich Dusk's life or hinder his growth. I don't know if you're going to be the pony up to the task of being the Element of Loyalty or not. And I don't know if you're hiding anything that could prove dangerous to my charge or anypony else...

“I think it makes you look beautiful.”

But, like I promised myself with Elusive earlier, everything will come together with time.

I just need to be... patient with my answers, and have faith that these ponies will offer them when they're ready.

The girly stallion hoof pumps to himself in response, absolutely ecstatic with my answer.

“Thanks…” he starts to say. “... Oh, wow! I never got your name, filly!”

“It’s Barbara,” I answer for him warmly. “Friends call me Barb.”

“Will do, Barb,” he chirps just as enthusiastically. “You’re pretty cool, and not just because you’re a dragon… though that’s pretty cool too.”

“Naturally,” I comment humbly.

With a quick chuckle and a wave of his hoof, Rainbow Dash draws my attention to the once again gathering group of Applejack, Butterscotch… Elusive… and Bubble Berry and proudly proclaims “You can totally join our colts club anytime, dude! Don’t worry, we don’t believe in cooties here!”

Save for Butterscotch who remains as quiet as when Dusk and I first met him, the gathered stallions chortle at this joke… though Applejack’s laughter lasts a tad bit longer. Long enough, in fact, for all of our attention to be drawn to him.

“Now there’s a laugh,” he barks before taking a long sip from his drink. As he finishes, he shoots Rainbow Dash a look that was just a few hairs short of being what I would call dirty. Not full on maleficent, but close. However you would describe it, it succeeds splendidly at shutting us all up.

“... You still pretendin' to be a colt then, Dashie?”

The heat leaves the room as Applejack finishes verbally throwing down the dueling glove. A few small gasps can be heard from the crowd as all eyes turn to watch Dash...

Rainbow, for his part, easily manages to one-up her opponent in this surprise competition by smoothly keeping his lips curled in amusement; unflinching in the face to what was just uttered.

“Yup!” Dash replies sharply with such good cheer that it threatens to usurp BB’S own. “Thanks for noticing... Do you need any tips, Applejack? It looks like you could really use them~”

A pin drops.

A fly buzzes its wings.

A tick coughs.

A molecule farts.

The silence in this room is now so palpable that the expression ‘quiet as the dead’ would be an insult to it’s true nature. This isn’t your everyday silence. This is,

Advanced Silence.

The fact that even Dusk pokes his head out from his sulking room is testament enough to the severity of this direly sick burn, and the consequences it would summon forth.

Consequences that Dash is (yet again) either unaware of or fully aware of, as evidenced by the happy expression still etched to his face.

Applejack’s face, meanwhile, was…

… well let’s just say that he looks a heck of a lot redder like his namesake now then he did ten seconds ago.

“... Rain…” He finally manages to choke out through his seething, biblical rage. “... bow… DASH…”

“Yes sweetie?~” the pegasus replies with a bat of his long eyelashes.

He is then promptly bucked in the face.

With a loud squeak I frantically dash backwards as the two stallions violently interlock in a brawl which causes hats to go flying alongside feathers and flowers. Heavy strikes and painful snaps can be heard as the two combatants wail on each other; as Applejack’s face remains tightened into a look of pure fury and Rainbow Dash’s…

… is still smiling brightly.

Party music and conversations soon resumes as the battle being waged on ignored. A slam of a door signifies that Dusk has left our presence as well, and I was once again left alone to simply gawk over the absurdity of it all.

Thank the stars I never had two sons.

“Let’s leave them be for now, dear,” chimes a smooth yet refined voice, as a hoof gently turns me away from the carnage and towards hopefully more sane souls… and Bubble Berry.

I glance up briefly to see my savior, wanting it not to be who I think it is, though I just as quickly turn away as my fears are swiftly confirmed.

Elusive presents me to the now reduced group of Butterscotch and Bubble Berry with an exasperated sigh. “Will those two never get along?” he asks in an exasperated tone, sparing all three of us a glance.

Butterscotch grunts but otherwise says nothing.

I’ve only known these ponies for a day so all I can do is shrug.

BB helpfully suggests, “They just need to work out aaaaaaaaalllll of their pent up frustrations by going behind Applejack’s barn and Fuc-”

A small “Eek!” escapes my lips as Butterscotch covers my ear-fins with his massive hooves, deafening me fully from the conversation.

Elusive glares angrily at Berry at this time, and I can tell that words are being said, but it’s not until Butterscotch releases his hold on me that I’m able to hear anything again.

“... besides he doesn't swing that way,” the tailor finishes ranting with a huff and a flustered flick of his stylized mane.

For his part, BB did at least look a tad embarrassed for his slight social faux pas. Perhaps in an attempt to correct this mistake, the party stallion next directs his attention towards me. “W-well then,” he continues, tittering. “Don't you pay those two silly billies any mind now, Little Miss Dragon!”

“My name’s Barb.”

“Little Miss Dragon Barb!”

“...”

“Here,” he then offers, gripping a cup in his curled foreleg. “It’s a party! We can all still have just as much fun with ourselv-”

“BB, which drink is that?” Elusive suddenly interrupts, staring at the cup in hoof.

Berry blinks, looks at it himself, and then slowly turns back to me.

“... Quick super short and totally unrelated question. You’re, like, one of those really really really really old, like thousands of years old, dragons that makes princesses and offers sage advice from your totally actually-an-adult experiences, right?”

“She’s seven and a half,” Butterscotch offers quietly.

Berry’s lips make an O shape in reply.

At first I’m confused by this display, but then the gears in my head turn for a moment and grant me a... strange answer.

“... Is that alcoholic?”

BB’s only response was to give me the biggest, most disturbing grin I had ever seen.

“If you’re old enough to know what that means..." he starts, manic look in his eyes. "... then you’re old enough to drink it!”

“Berry no!”

“Berry yes!”

With his words having zero effect on the crazed party pony, Elusive takes the initiative by levitating me up onto his back and trotting away. “We’ll be talking about this later, BB!” He calls back angrily. “Mark my words!”

“Bye!” BB cries back undeterred, waving his arm frantically as if we were departing on a grand expedition. Butterscotch offers a small one for us as well, though I’m willing to bet he’s just as confused as I am right now.

And oh lord am I confused.

With the group now reduced down to only Elusive and myself, my guest sees it fit for us to gratefully retire ourselves to a remote corner of the library where it is quieter. Here we can catch our breaths, relax…

… and totally not grill one another on whether or not we’re long lost, reborn lovers!

Yay...

“I swear,” Elusive begins, once he’s confirmed we’re as alone as we can be. “That pony is going to end up in jail someday… Are you alright, Barbara?”

I can feel my cheeks burning as the handsome pony directs his gaze at me. D-damn it, I promised myself I would, move, forward. Lingering on the past isn’t going to do me any good… but saying one thing and actually following through on it are two completely different things.

“Y-yes,” I answer after a time, once I’m able to wrangle my emotions down to a more manageable level. “Thank you J-, Elusive…”

His teeth shown brightly at this. “Oh it’s my pleasure. Somepony needed to play the role of gentlecolt in this situation, and it just so happens that I’m usually typecast as such.” He finishes his statement with a small bow and a flourish of his hoof. I can’t help but chuckle at the display, but a question about what just happened bubbles to the forefront of my mind.

“Is Berry really serving alcohol at this party, Elusive?”

Elusive’s smile fades at this.

“I’m afraid so, Barbara,” he tells me truthfully. “You see Bubble Berry, or BB as he likes to be called, grew up on a rock farm. From what I understand a big component of his cutie mark story, in which he discovered his special talent for throwing parties, involved a copious amount of the stuff despite his age at the time.” Elusive shakes his head. “How that was the case is anypony's guess; the story changes all the time."

Elusive looks past the crowd of ponies and back towards where we had just left. Whether he is gazing at the pony our conversation is about or not I can't tell; I'm too short to see over anypony's heads.

"... Over time," he goes on, returning his gaze to me. "ponies have thankfully encouraged him to downgrade his festivities to only the weakest stuff on the market, but still he adamantly refuses to host even a single foal’s Cute-ceañera without the stuff. He's one of the kindest, if not also one of the most overly excitable, ponies around but like the rest of us he has his quirks and his hangups. One of these hangups is, as plainly as I can explain it, that a Bubble Berry party will always be served…

“... on the rocks…”

“I… see…” I nod my head slowly.

Spoiler alert; I don’t.

I really really don’t.

... But in this world the Element of Kindness has a beard, the Element of Honesty starts fights, the Element of Loyalty is a fabulously self confident femboy, and the Element of Generosity speaks English so sure. Whatever. WHY NOT?

I'm so tired.

“Do you five know each other well then?” I ask, both to change the subject and because I’m actually curious. I remember the rainboom story from the show, but I don’t recall if it was ever brought up whether the original group from Ponyville were close.

Elusive graciously complies to my request. “You could certainly say that, from a certain point of view. I’ve personally known Applejack for most of my life here in Ponyville. Our interests are different so we really don’t see each other often. Bubble Berry came to town when I was a young colt and I see him often when I visit the bakery he works at. Hehe, he’s being quite truthful when he states that he knows everypony in this town. As for Rainbow Dash and Butterscotch, well they both came a bit later after BB as a kind of two-for-one deal. Dash and I talk fashion every now and then, though mostly when he wants an opinion on whatever form of expression he’s currently into at the time. And Butterscotch… well he likes animals. He mostly keeps to himself, but he seems like a nice pony." Looking forlorn, he adds to his description that "I just wish he would talk more often.”

I snicker briefly at this.

“You just need to be a small cute animal,” I add helpfully. “Then he’ll open up to you like he did for me.”

Clearly in good humor, Elusive rubs his chin in 'deep' contemplation.

“Ahhh… so that’s the trick. I’ll have to remember that on my next go around.”

I begin to laugh...

... but then I pause as I run what he just said through my mind again.

“On your next… go around?”

“Hmm,” Elusive chimes. “Yes… on my next go around…”

He turns to look at me,

... and then smirks.

“At visiting his house!”

“...”

“...”

"..."

“... You really shouldn’t be so on guard so often, Barbara.” Elusive continues to beam, unfazed by my reaction. “You’re going to develop wrinkles well before your time at this rate... unless that's a thing dragons don't get. In which case, jealous~”

“...”

I take a step back from the once friendly pony and position myself to face him head on.

“... Barbara?”

“...”

… This conversation has just taken a dramatic turn.

Now I’m debating where I should take it.

We have a lot to discuss, after all.

Do I... ask him my questions now?

Do I wait until later?

… Do I just live a life of blissful ignorance and forget this ever happened?

That… we ever happened?

…

… If he’s not Jason, but instead another like myself, does he know what’s to come?

Is he a ‘seerer’ like me?

If he has knowledge of the show, is he going to follow the script?

Is he going to go off the rails?

Is… is he going to become real friends with my Dusk Shine, or will he just use him…

So many questions. Too many questions…

…

...

… After a long moment, I finally make up my mind.

I take a deep breath...

… and then Elusive makes my ultimate decision irrelevant by again taking the initiative.

“Now is not the time or place for your answers, Barbara.”

The sudden shift to a serious tone leaves me frozen in place as I stare at him. All I can manage to wrangle out of my quickly tightening throat is a strained

“W-what?”

With a hardened gaze, Elusive looks past me yet again towards the crowd around us. He simpers a moment later as he turns back towards me.

“This… really isn’t the best place for one to air out their dirty laundry,” he elaborates for me as his moment of severity passes. “Wouldn’t you agree? Rumors spread like wildfire in a tiny town such as this… best we let sleeping dogs lie for now, so to speak.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

… Though he smirks, I can feel a nervous kind of energy now flowing around him. As I stare up at him, I can see beads of sweat beginning to drip off Elusive as I unintentionally grill him with my eyes.

If I ever needed more proof that he’s hiding something, this would be it.

...

... But… what do I do with this information? He has a point; now probably isn’t the best time to be doing this. Even with Dusk upstairs, there’s no way of knowing what would happen if the fact that reincarnation is a thing suddenly becomes well known. In a land of magic, such audacious claims tend to hold a bit more water and will usually be taken seriously. It could really spell the end of both of our lives if it gets out. I don’t want Dusk to look at me differently, to see me as a liar, and I’m sure the same is true for Elusive and his family.

So, I now know that he is hiding details from me and everyone else. What exactly that is I don’t know. I'm confident I'll get the answers I seek in the future, however. With the amount of screen time Rarity and Spike share alone, I’m sure it will happen sooner rather than later. Still… that doesn't change the fact that there are a lot of questions I want answered. 'Is he Jason?' is a big one. 'Is he my Jason?' is also important.

'Does… does he still love me?'

... Frankly I don’t know where to start; I don’t know which one is eating at me more! And each is so loaded; I’m pretty sure whatever he's hiding isn't going to be as easy to explain with a simple 'Hey are you Jason yes or no?'. And even if I tried that right now, I think either of these answers would be enough drive me up the wall and back until it could be elaborated on further!

“Well,” Elusive interrupts my jumbled thoughts as he stands back up. “The night is still young! What say we gather ourselves some more age appropriate beverages and enjoy the festivities, Barbara?”

Hey! You can’t change the subject on me that easily, boy! I raised two kids! I know a getting-out-of-telling-the-truth distraction when I see one! But… Ooooooh! What to do what to do what to do?! Ugh this is driving me crazy! Maybe…

…

… Sigh…

… Maybe I should admit that I’ve made myself miserable a little too much today… Maybe I should admit that I’ve mentally beaten myself to a emotional pulp more than enough already in this long, looooooooonnnngggg, day. Maybe I should realize that I’m too drained to keep hating myself for what I do, don’t do, or should be doing.

Maybe… Maybe I should admit that a party is in order right now…

… Yeah, I think it finally is.

“Okay… Okay you win, Elusive,” I finally admit in defeat. Surprising myself, I find the strength to grin through the disappointment. “Let’s just have some fun tonight and pretend that everything is a,o,k.”

Elusive grins as well, and lets out a small “Ha! There’s no need to pretend, my little friend. Everything is a,o,k.”

“Say’s you,” I retort, though my good joy never leaves. “Can… can you at least tell me when I can get answers though, Elusive? Pretty please?”

Elusive’s face droops slightly as he again draws a hoof to his chin.

“Hard to say…” he speaks as he contemplates. “I imagine that our dear new friend Dusk Shine will be heading back to Canterlot in the morning once the celebrations are complete. I would think that you’ll most likely have to go back with him too, correct?”

“Yea-” I start to say, but then I stop walking and stare at empty space.

“... Am I wrong?” Elusive follows up, confused by my response.

Ignoring the question, I let the last exchange stew about in my mind for a moment, digesting what little information that it just proved to me. Whoever this pony is or was, he doesn’t have show knowledge like me. That means…

… that means that his friendship with Dusk will be genuine.

“... No,” I answer after a time, my good vibes returning as I say “No that’s correct, but I think we can figure that stuff out later.

“For now... “

A hot sauce covered cupcake materializes in my claw before I can finish my sentence, and an upturned lampshade finds itself placed on my head. Tilting it slightly upwards to clear my vision, I'm just in time to see the wink aimed towards me by the passing by Bubble Berry, who bounces further into the crowd with drinks (both adult and non) balanced carefully on the tray set across his back.

I pay this event little mind as a split second later, with my claw now devoid of treats and my mouth pleasantly full of vinegary/sugary goodness, I happily give the ponies around us a hardy and crumb-filled battle cry of

“Let’s party!”

And there was much rejoicing.

Entry 1, Part 7 (Makes it All Complete)

The room that had been converted into Dusk Shine’s bedroom obviously didn’t start out as one. With an inner sanctum two floors high, a lack of closets or decently sized drawers, and the fact that the bathroom couldn’t be any further away if it tried; it’s clear to see that comfortable lodging was not the first thing on the creator's mind. What was on their mind is pretty evident to see though.

Hold on to your hats; it’s books.

Shocking I know.

While there’s no amenities for actual day to day survival, there is plenty of essentials for writers and readers alike. There’s desks with tiny flat drawers, walls lined with shelves for books both old and new, and even a fireplace to both help keep the place nice and warm during cold nights and to banish less savory creations into the fiery pits of hell!

Boy I would have loved to have that option in my old writer-for-hire days.

With these key features in mind, this room sure as heck beats my old (wo)man cave in the writing and reading departments hands down… That’s all it beats it in, though. Unlike my old little office space-shaped slice of heaven back on Earth, this work nook isn’t connected to an actual livable home to help offset the aforementioned living shortcomings. More gimmick than house, it’s certainly not the Canterlot Spire Dusk and I spent the better half of the last two years in. I seriously had my doubts that this library could ever serve as our future home.

These fears were quickly put to bed, however, when BB and I discovered the fully equipped kitchen hidden in the back and swiftly proceeded to put it to good use. Home is where the icebox is empty and there's cupcake batter on the ceilings, after all.

Backing things up here for a sec, to the earlier talk of bedrooms; that’s where I now find my Dusk Shine currently sulking. As I enter the room of questionable bed worthiness I can tell, with books scattered haphazardly around and with a pillow firmly planted over his head, that he has finally given up on his struggles in uncovering the truth.

This is a good thing.

Firstly, I was half afraid that the stress was going to give him an aneurysm. It didn’t happen on the show, but neither did Pinkie Pie get anypony drunk (allegedly), so who can really say anymore? Secondly, I’m glad he didn’t decide to, like, leave the party or anything. I was thinking he might try to run off to see the Prince and make one last ditch effort to convince him that the prophecy is true. How that would have affected things is anyone’s guess. I’ve been glancing over at his door all night in paranoid fear as a result, making sure he didn’t attempt to escape. After awhile I had the realization that he could have easily snuck out the window without me being the wiser, or even attempted that teleportation spell he’s been practicing, hence why I’m checking in on him now.

Thirdly, it’s a good thing he’s given up because maybe now he’ll actually take me up on my offer.

“Hey Dusk!” I shout over the booming party music as I enter. I then add, as I lift up the lampshade still fixtured to my head, “Bubble Berry’s starting pin the tail on the pony! Want to play?”

Equestria doesn’t have electricity widely available yet, but lamps still exist here thanks to magically charged batteries.

Thus, party lampshades.

Amazing.

“No!”

And Dusk is still a grumpy pants.

Not so amazing.

“All the ponies in this town are bucking crazy!” he screeches at me from the second floor, his eyes narrowing into a scowl as he does.

In the past, before actually getting to know these ponies, I probably would have argued against this point and tried to insist that he’s just exaggerating...

… Now though, after having bared witness to a ditzy pony eating ten baked goods, at once, while simultaneously chugging Bubble Berry’s custom Brew upside down to thunderous applause... it’s safe to say that I would no longer have a leg to stand on in such a debate.

This town’s ponies are crazy, outgoing, loud, collectively weird, and most important of all… they’re an entirely different brand of crazy from Canterlot’s own.

I love it here.

“Do you know what time it is?!” Dusk’s rant continues on uninterrupted, preventing me from calling him out on his use of such bucking inappropriate language. Not allowing my friend’s bad vibes to keep my good (most likely candy fueled) mood down, I cheerfully give his simple question a simple answer.

“It’s the Eve of the Summer Sun Celebration! Duh! Everypony has to stay up now or else they’ll miss the Prince raise the Sun!” Seeing Dusk roll his eyes at this, I pause for a moment to reign in my sugar high before adding, “You really should lighten up, Dusk… It’s a party!”

Dusk mumbles mockingly under his breath, but I pay it no mind as I tip my hat back down and rejoin the festivities. Not going to let him ruin my fu-

“Yaaaawwwnnn~”

…

…

… Wait, what was that?

A yawn?

Was that… me?

Did I just yawn?

… Oh good Lord that was me! I just yawned! T-that can’t be right though! It’s not that late! It’s only… four in the morning… the Eve of the Summer Sun Celebration like I just told Dusk…

Waaaaayyy past baby dragon bedtime.

Crap crap crap! I promised myself! I promised myself that I was going to take a nap before I got too tired; so I could be awake to help the boys out tonight! I got so dang carried away partying, trying to forget about my day, that the most important thing slipped my mind! Argh! M-maybe I can still fix this? Maybe a couple more cupcakes, or or maybe if I down the whole bottle of hot sauce! Or mayb-

“Yaaaaawwwnnn~”

YOU’RE NOT HELPING, STUPID UNDERDEVELOPED BODY!!

Damn it all I’m not a kid! I’m a full grown woman… when it best serves me… and I am perfectly capable of staying up late like the big girl I am!

Yeah you tell her, me!

… Wait

“Is Dusk coming down?”

Thankfully distracting me from myself, I turn away from my panicked thoughts and see Bubble Berry waiting at the bottom of the steps to Dusk’s room. He hops in place as he waits eagerly for my answer.

Sadly I have to disappoint him. “No he isn’t, BB. I’m sorry.”

“Ahhhh! Bummer,” the stallion pouts.

“That might be for the best,” Elusive then chimes in as he approaches us. “The sunrise is almost upon us gentlecolts… and Barbara.”

With a grunt, Butterscotch makes himself known to us as well by pointing out, “Ponies are leaving.”

BB gasps.

“You’re right! Oh we don’t want to be late for that!” He then wails at such a volume that I have to cover my ear-fins, “PARTIES OVER, EVERYPONY! YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO HOME BUT YOU CAN’T STAY HERE!”

With a few grumbles and groans, the patrons to the welcome party start to shuffle out and head for (what I can only assume) town hall where the Prince is supposed to be situated.

“T-time to leave already?” asks a woozy, yet undeniably perky voice.

I turn towards the voice’s source and discover in shock that it belongs to a much battered looking Rainbow Dash. His pretty flowers are long gone, as are a few nonessential feathers. There are bruises here and there, and it seems a black eye is forming, but otherwise he doesn’t seem too damaged. He’s also still in high spirits.

“H-has anypony seen mah hat?”

The second voice’s owner is equally as exhausted sounding as the first’s. Beyond the lost cap, Applejack’s seems to be the one who handled the beating the best of the two. There’s scratches, and a few hairs are missing from his no longer bound goatee, but overall he seems to have come out of the melee as the more presentable pony.

I assume it’s because of this fact that Elusive, after taking a single look at both of these stallions, ultimately decides to approach Rainbow Dash instead of Applejack. “My boutique is on the way there,” he offers to him as he leaves the library for town hall. “I have a first aid, and makeup, kit we can use, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash smiles softly at the offer as he follows behind the generous pony upon battered wings. “You’re the best, Elue,” he praises.

“I assure you, I am well aware.”

After watching the two depart, BB slides up next to Applejack and extends him a slightly beat up stetson.

“Your hat, sir?” he asks playfully.

Applejack groans at this.

“I reckon,” he answers unamused.

BB then slips a bag of ice into the accessory before hoofing it back to its owner.

This act results in a much improved response from the bruised pony. “Thank you kind-” he starts to say as he lowers the cap back onto his head. He winces and hisses as the frozen object touches his cranium, but the pained cry soon morphs into one of relief as he lets it sit there. “Ly,” he finishes after a second.

Content with the results, Bubble Berry waves goodbye to Applejack as the latter decides to exit as well. BB then proceeds to offer the same courtesy at all of the departing guests. This includes Butterscotch, who silently slinks away once the crowd thins out enough for him to navigate through.

I, meanwhile, head back upstairs to grab Dusk Shine.

It’s time to have a… “Yawn~” … a Nightterror.

It took more convincing than I thought it would to get Dusk moving out of bed. Threats of disappointing me and his new friends proved futile, and he made a compelling argument about being in a fortified structure for when all Tartarus breaks loose (which almost won me over), but ultimately one mention from me about letting Prince Solaris down was all the motivation he needed to start galloping out of that library like his life depended on it. I was fortunate enough to grip his mane at the last possible second and use the momentum to swing myself onto his back; without his assistance I would have had to rely on my stubby legs to carry me all of the way there. In the time that would have taken there would have been no conceivable room left for me.

Right now the town hall is, and I’m not trying to be funny by describing it this way, a zoo. Although it looks large enough to hold a sizable chunk of Ponyville’s populous on any given day, the entire town is kinda pushing it. Thankfully the pegasus ponies can fly to free up space, and I can see that both Butterscotch and a cleaner looking Rainbow Dash are opting to do just that, but this doesn’t change the fact that this town was primarily an earth pony settlement back in the day. What that means is that what little balconies this place has aren't meant for the general audience, and instead are for lighter guests such as Butterscotch's birds or the sole speaker on the central stage. Unicorn and pegasi architecture tends to include more sturdy vertical options, but with that being neither here nor there us ground stompers will just have to make do with what little standing room is left for now.

Well... Dusk does, at least. I, on the other hand, get to use his back to boost myself up and actually get a chance to see what’s going on. It's the embarrassing equivalent of a child being hoisted up onto their mommy or daddy's shoulders, but hey if it works it works. No forest of knees for me tonight, thank you very much!

And it looks like, despite the crowd, we’ll have a guest with us this evening. As he has proven time and time again since we met him, crowds mean little to Bubble Berry. He goes wherever the heck he wants to go, personal bubbles be damned, and right now the one place he wants to be is right here next to Dusk and I. “Isn’t this exciting!?” He asks Dusk as he slides up next to us. I grin a little at this as I raise myself higher on Dusk’s withers and remain quiet. Having gotten to know BB a little better, I’m now aware that this party pony has a ton of different options for who to stand next to tonight. He has long time friends and foalhood acquaintances all gathered here in this room right now… but out of all of them he decided to saddle up next to the one pony who needed a new companion the most. This was a conscious decision, despite how silly and random the pony who made it seems…

… The sugar is making me ramble. In summation; BB is awesome. That is all.

“‘Cause I’m excited! I’ve never been so excited! Well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town, and I went gasp! But, I mean, really; who can top that?”

He might also be just as hopped up on our lord and savior Sugar Rush as I am right now, but I don’t think I have enough evidence to prove that.

Before my derailing thought train could go off on another mindless tangent, the sound of avian music filling the silenced halls takes a hold of my attention and keeps it in a vice grip. Other ponies join me too including Dusk, and soon our eyes are directed towards the source; the conductor Butterscotch and his bird choir. We, the audience, linger on this pony for only a moment before a spotlight redirects our sight towards the center stage.

Long dormant memories within me stir as the scene begins to inch closer and closer towards Friendship is Magic: Part One’s climax. As another yawn tries to escape out of my mouth, I fight back against it by steeling my gaze on the stallion who now takes center stage. A tiny mantra of ‘Stay awake’ repeats itself over and over in my head as the battle against my internal clock rages on.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts!” announces loudly the pony with the monocle and green necktie. “As Mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!”

Though everypony cheers, and a few of those on the ground stomp their hooves in celebration, Dusk doesn’t join in. From my perch I can see a look of concern slowly forming, one that perfectly mirrors the one on my own face. He doesn’t need ‘seer’ powers like me to sense that this isn't right.

The Mayor’s speech about this being the longest day of the year and about how honored Ponyville is to host it goes ignored by Dusk Shine and myself as my oldest friend’s head swivels about in a desperate attempt to spot the coming storm. As I watch the stage… “Yawn~”... c-closely for what’s about to come, I spot out of the corner of my eye as a shape towards the skylights catches Dusk’s attention. Whatever it is, it causes his ears to droop and for his back to tense up in fear.

My heart pounds in my chest as I feel the anxious energy within my little pony radiate outwards and into me. I painfully bite my lip to keep my own nervousness in check as the birds’ music reaches the apex of their performance and as the speaker’s speech reaches its close.

This is it.

This is what seven years of life on this planet has led me to.

This is where I prove I’m not Spike, but instead Barbara The Dragoness!

“... the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria!” declares the Mayor one final time before the spotlights switch to the closed curtains on the balcony above him. “Prince Solaris!!”

Elusive, having been given the honor for his part in decorating the hall, uses his teeth to grip onto the rope keeping the concealing drapes together and then uses his glistening neck muscles to tug it.

What follows next could only have been predicted by those who gaze into the future such as Solaris and I, or those as smart and dedicated as Dusk Shine.

… If we had not known better, Dusk, the Prince and I probably would have told you that we believed you long ago. Though I joked about it in the past, to selfishly ease my own guilt, I took no joy in keeping this from you and I’m sure neither did Solaris. Watching as somepony’s worst fears are proven true; watching as their stomach drops and the air is stricken from their lungs leaves not a feeling of satisfaction within me. Instead I feel anger; anger that I had to intentionally hurt him by playing dumb. Anger that I’ll most likely have to do this again in the future.

As the herd gasps over the curtains revealing a blank spot where a Prince was supposed to be, and as Dusk utters in a low tone to himself, “This can’t be good,” I find myself now more alert than ever. I also find myself briefly reflecting on my earlier promise, the one about going into the woods tonight with these six stallions to insure Dusk’s safety, and only now realizing that I’ve been lying about it the whole time. This isn’t in penitence for me screwing up Dusk’s life.

This is in penitence for me having to hurt him like this.

Determination flows into me as I finally set my path straight, and as the Mayor attempts to calm the steadily growing fear of the masses. Bubble Berry starts to make wild guesses about the Prince playing hide and seek, which on a normal day I wouldn’t put past him, but as Elusive returns to the stage from his search to announce “He’s gone!” did it finally truly dawn on everypony that things are seriously amiss.

“Oh he’s goooood!”

Everypony but Bubble Berry, obviously. Hey I said he was smart, not observant.

That said, even BB struggles to hide his shock behind his normally playful facade as bluish smoke overtakes the stage and engulfs it in it’s swirling vortex of stardust and magic. We're not spared from the assault either, and an ominous air from the arcane whirlwind sweeps over us all. This back-draft startles us all, causes the smaller foals to seek shelter behind larger ponies’ legs, and it forces my eyes to shut tightly against my will. I curse my weakness as I grip Dusk’s mane tighter and urge myself to open my lead lined eyelids once more. I manage to reopen them just in time to see an equine shape begin to form from the screeching maelstrom.

The alicorn now present in the room stands as tall as his brother Solaris. With coat as black as a starless night, horn long and visibly sharp, and mane as alive as it is enriched with wild magic; the dark stallion stands silently over the citizens of Ponyville and watches each and every one of us through dragon like eyes.

“Nightterror Nebula,” Dusk breathlessly gasps.

I gasp as well...

… as I triumphantly give destiny a big old middle finger by simply, staying, awake.

I remember this part. This is the part where Spike faints in the show.

Instead, this is where I stand.

… Well, technically next to Dusk Shine is where I stand. A combination of him rearing up slightly in fear, plus my weakening grip, caused me to fall off of his back just like Spike did in the show. It was almost a pure recreation too, as the ground was feeling extra soft and comfortable today thanks to my sleep deprived mind, BUT I FOUGHT THE URGE! Now I stand here, awake, and ready to do… something! Something involving this terrifyingly armored manifestation of everypony's deepest darkest fears that even the pony who moves the sun couldn’t do anything about!

...

… I might have not thought this part through enough...

Despite having been prepared for this moment for literal years, actually seeing The Nightterror face to face is filling me with the same sense of fear and urge to run as everypony else right now. His appearance is not as one-to-one to his mare self as I was expecting; while his body’s features and colors are about the same to Nightmare Moon’s, his armor is an entirely different story. A open helmet, metal shoes, and a simple breastplate was all that Princess Luna’s alter ego adorned in the show. It was enough to give the viewers the impression that she was a sort of warrior princess kind of villain. In contrast, only one word comes to mind when I look at this stallion’s choice of attire.

Warlord.

His helmet covers his entire muzzle, leaving his eyes the only thing visible. Pointed spikes line the bottom half of the headgear as if to form a threatening metallic stubble, and the rims of his horseshoes bare this same aesthetic. His breastplate now covers the entirety of his chest and back leaving only his legs and wings bare, save for the sharpened pieces of metal that have split themselves off from the main back plating and now run along the length of his feathers. At his wingtips they stop, stretch, and fold along with the fallen’s Princes’ movements, giving the illusion that they’re a natural part of him.

To complete his horror ensemble is one an important piece, and it’s a piece that only became apparent once I noticed the other glaring difference between this stallion and the mare from the cartoon. Nightmare Moon had both a mane and tail that flowed with mystic energy, not unlike Princess Celestia and Luna herself. Nightterror Nebula, meanwhile, has this same mane but not the tail. It exists, but this tail is wrapped up and armored as well; the same as the rest of him. In it’s defensive garb it gives off the appearance of a lion’s tail, one that swishes back and forth uninhibited by the plating. At its tip lies a blackened bundle of fur which completes the lion comparison, but it’s also here in my visual strip-down where my heart just about leaps out of my throat.

Attached to the tail’s tip is a one sided warblade.

On the tip of the blade drips fresh blood.

The imposing pony remains silent as gasps and screams start ringing through the halls as this last part becomes more well known; as more eyes take in his horrific visage. Like the member of royalty that he is, The Nightterror exerts his authority by raising his head up high and training his twisted eyes on the gathered crowd as a whole. His gaze succeeds in silencing all who are unlucky enough to make eye contact. Soon the room is completely still again.

After a time, he speaks.

“My… beloved subjects,” Nebula rumbles loudly, his voice deep and piercing as it filters through his helm. Chills run through me as he continues, venom ever present in his words.

“It has been so very, very long since I’ve last laid my eyes on your pathetic, puny, sun-adoring mugs.”

Warning bells blare in my head. This is a lot more aggressive than I remember it being. Quite a number of ponies are slowly backing up now in the face of it and I find it hard not to do the same. I’m shaking; w-what did I just sign myself up into fighting?!

“What did you do with our Prince?!”

Thankfully I’ll be with ponies braver than myself.

Ponies like…

… Applejack?

With my brain half addled by the sugar crash I am desperately trying to ignore, it takes me longer than it should have to notice the country tinge to those last words. I look over just in time to see the farm pony tilt his hat down menacingly and scuff a hoof against the ground. He gallops towards the pony of terror… only for the tips of a blue pegasus’ wing to grip the goatee at the end of his chin and yank it downwards, painfully halting the charge.

“Easy there cowboy,” Rainbow Dash hisses, straining to keep the hearty stallion in line.

I… think this is wrong too, but the details are fuzzy. Time and the general slowing of my mind are making things hard to recall. Need… sle-

I silently slap myself on the cheeks. Keep it together, Barb. Just a little while longer and Dusk will run back to the tree house. There’s coffee there. We will make this work damn it.

At the boy’s earlier outburst, The Nightterror narrows his eyes but ultimately says nothing. No evil laugh, no growl; except for his mane and tail he is as still as a statue.

This is almost worse.

“... Am I not Royal enough for you?” Nebula starts up again, staring at the aggressive earth pony intensely. “Do peasants not know of my past glories, or the victories I’ve won for this mighty kingdom?” With a flick of his tail, the blood that had been covering the tip of his warblade goes flying and splashes down next to a drape where three little colts were hiding. Yellow, white, and orange heads scream at the sight and retreat further into the cloth’s protective cover. The sight of this causes Applejack's anger to dissipate and for a look of concern to replace it on his face, but this was short lived as The Nightterror interrupts to pose him and all ponies present a single question.

“Do you not know who I am?”

“Oh oh, more guessing games!” replies Bubble Berry, not missing a beat. Daggers are glared at him by literally everypony in the room as a result, but I feel that I’m the only one who notices his knees banging against each other as he starts randomly guessing names. Hazarding a guess based on future and personal knowledge involving him; he’s as scared out of his little pony mind as the rest of us are right now, but his desire for everyone not to be scared has overridden his sense of self preservation. The result is him being thrust into a sort of party boy autopilot. It’s actually admirable when you think about it.

“Um, Hokey Smokes?”

Like… really really think about it.

“How about King Tyranny?”

SUPER hard.

“No… oh! Obsidian Snarky, Obsidian Snarky!”

… Or maybe I have to take back my earlier statement about him being smart.

Really hope that’s not the case.

Rainbow Dash thankfully puts a stop to this before it can get any worse by using his remaining wing to shove an apple into his mouth. Crisis averted.

“Does my crown now mean nothing?!”

Oh. Whoops. I take that back. Crisis is still imminent. All eyes turn back to the corrupted Prince yet again as he raises his voice for the first time since his arrival. With a single flap of his wings, Nebula soars through the air and lands harshly on the balcony next to Butterscotch. Though he is his equal in height and stature, the pegasus’ body shivers as he tries to slowly float up and away from the coming verbal assault.

“Has my imprisonment for a thousand years stripped me of the Honor I have rightfully earned through tears, sweat, and blood?!” he roars into Butterscotch's face, sending tremors through the entire room. Town Hall is soon assaulted by another quake as the scare factor alone causes the poor yellow pony’s wings to give out, making him plummet to the ground.

My blood then boils as the terrible alicorn next turns his attention to Elusive, who is still frozen in place on the stage where Solaris was supposed to appear. No. No no no no NO! “D-Dusk!” I whisper fiercely into my charge’s ear, trying to prompt him into action early.

This whole situation is quickly spiraling out of control and I don’t know what’s going to happen anymore! Things aren’t matching up exactly, and this pony is so much scarier I… I-I don’t know what to do! “Dusk!” I again hiss into his ear.

My words go unheeded as Dusk continues to gape at the pony of legend now in his mist. His legs wobble as he does, the same as everypony else's, but I can see his teeth starting to clench. I know that look; he’s on the fence. He needs to take a step forward into action, but he doesn’t know what. He’s not going to act without a plan, but time is of the essence! My own teeth clench too as I turn my head back and forth between him and the stallion slowly approaching the one pony I’ve found in this world that might be like me.

I don’t want to lose the one possible connection I might still have to my old life!

I can’t lose him again!

Come on... come on! I try to reach out for Dusk one last time.

“Du-

“Yaaaawwwwnnn~”

A yawn slips out instead.

The result is like I fired a gun in a library.

Now all eyes were on me; Dusk’s and his friends’ and most of the town. I was the one who just interrupted the monologuing maniac, after all. You remember... the one who has us all rooted in place out of fear?

The one whose eyes are now drilling into me as well?

And drill his unnatural eyes did; burning holes into my soul. Sweat drips from my forehead as he stretches up so that he may better leer at me. I take a step back reflectively as he bares his altered wings up fully for all to see.

I fall onto my tail as he next leaps down from his perch and lands roughly mere feet away. It was only now that I could see that I barely measure past his fetlock in height.

“No no no,” I uncontrollably whimper as I crawl backwards, away from the approaching monster. One tiny step is all it would take, o-or a swish of that tail; only the smallest amount of effort would be necessary for him to snuff me out. “No no no,” This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!

“S-stop it!” A frightened voice calls out, it’s owner taking a step forward and placing himself between the two of us. Though he quivers just as violently as me, unlike myself Dusk Shine remains standing as he glowers upwards at the being threatening me.

But his defense proves futile as The Nightterror, with his far superior height, continues to glare at me. Ponies begin to call out both our names fearfully, begging us to get out of here, but my stupid legs won’t budge. Just when I thought I couldn’t be anymore afraid, the alicorn’s horn suddenly bursts into life. A bluish aura, tinted with shades of the night itself, envelopes the appendage with such intensity that it threatens to suck the light out of this room.

Not a second afterwards, this same aura envelopes my body fully.

And unfortunately I’m not alone.

With a turn of his head to survey the room, Nebula's evil magic finds itself locked onto a handful of other victims out of the many. One by one we each find ourselves forcefully levitated up into the air and brought forward towards the blackened beast. Shouts and angry screams from friends and loved ones alike fill the air as the horrific act proceeds. In terror I grip my purse and breathe heavily in my hold as the others who had been captured cry and wail around me. The noise is so high pitched, and the emotions so raw... It’s only as I force my head up, resulting in me locking eyes with the equally scared unicorn colt next to me, do I realize why this is the case.

“I have a fondness for children,” Nightterror Nebula explains himself as his wandering eyes soften for a fraction of a second…

… only for them to then harden once again.

“But they’re better off seen and not heard.”

With one final pulse of light from the monster's horn, a shock wave covers all his hostages and instills in me a feeling not unlike an electrical current running havoc under my scales. The magical aura around me fades away as the tiredness I once felt returns with a vengeance; intensifying itself to levels I can no longer hope to have control over.

Dusk calls out for me one last time before I hit the floor and everything fades to black.

Entry 1, End

“Mommy!!! MOMMY!!”

“DAAADDD!! DDDDDAAADDDD!”

“Sniff, mama…”

“Applejack! Red Gala! G-grandpa!”

I don’t know where I am.

I don’t know whose crying.

I don’t know what I’m doing.

“I-I WANT MY MOMMY!!”

Despite the cries all around me, I feel… still.

My body is still, and I am quiet.

This is fine… But I feel… like there’s stone pushing against my spines.

I must be lying down.

Yeah… I can tell now.

Suddenly things… click.

I’m lying down on a floor; a new floor. Things are becoming clearer in my head... This is not the same floor I had fallen down on earlier. That floor was earthly, this floor… stone is the best way I can describe it.

What I can describe with certainty is what I’m hearing. The screams from before are now much less numerous, yet at the same time far more intense. I can’t recall if they had ever stopped between the blast and now.

I can’t recall why I’m laying down either.

It feels like I’ve always been here but… also not.

… This is weird.

It takes me a second to start getting back up; to not only find my footing and to blink the sleep out of my eyes, but to also find the desire to rise. The oddness of it all is quickly filling my actions with a sense of purpose, though, as I discover more and more strangeness occurring all around me. Speaking of, the next weird thing I find is that there isn’t any sleep left in my eyes. In fact, it feels as though I was never tired in the first place! I dwell on this new oddity for but a moment, long enough for the third weird factoid to soon present itself to me.

This factoid being that I’m now apparently in space.

…

…

… OKAY I’M UP NOW

With a start I use my restored energy to stand up fully and to take in my new, lovecraftian surroundings. Above and around me lies a darkened array of stars and auroras of all shapes, sizes, and hues. No shadows exist here, even though everything is properly illuminated. Flashes of light dance sporadically across the alien skyline, like rogue bolts of lightning wreaking a soundless havoc every which way. Chaos lies below me as well in the form of a glowing white road of compacted stars and stardust that stretches out into all conceivable directions. It isn’t a solid road; I can see cracks along it’s surface, and parts in the great distance where patches have broken off completely and are floating away. These shards can be seen littering the whole starry ‘sky’. Along these many paths lie small obelisks, numerous in design and stability, that almost resemble unconnected doors. These too are in a similar state of disarray and decay to the rest of this star road. And many of these ‘doors’ are cracked or outright destroyed, with their remains drifting away to parts far removed from the main path. Some of these pieces are now being used as hovering platforms.

This is where this realm's visitors are currently residing.

Many foals of young ages and various pony races now populate this strange infinite space and are clearly upset over the whole ordeal. Most are crying out for their parents and guardians, and many more are simply just crying for the sake of crying in the way only a child can. They’re scattered about at random; a few are on top of these aforementioned flying doors, more are on the broken path or it’s missing pieces, and the pegasus children that have the power to do so are trying to stay afloat in the debris filled air. From what I can see, their act of gravitational defiance doesn't usually last too long before an erred piece of the broken land forces them to land wherever there’s room.

I had never seen anything like it before.

Not in Equestria, Earth, or even the show.

“Where… where are we?” I ask aloud, to assure myself that this impossible place is real.

“Y-you don’t know?”

With a tiny shrill shriek I jump at the sudden question, and to my further shock I discover that the gravity is all borked in this place. Panic sets in as I begin to uncontrollably rise up into the air, but the timely grab of white and orange forelegs helps drag me back down to the ground before it’s too late.

Catching my breath, I attempt to shake this recent scare off by looking up at my heroes. In a nice change of pace, I didn’t need to crane my neck upwards to see my saviors as we're all the same height and (technical) age.

The orange hoof had belonged to a small pegasus colt with a solid mulberry mane, and the white one belonged to a familiar looking unicorn colt with a mane a mixture of a more grayish version of his partner’s, with equally gray-rose streaks. It didn’t take me long to realize that this was my world’s Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

I mean, give me some slack, guys.

“You’re, like, not from around this place then?” asks the young pegasus shyly, continuing with the question which caused my earlier jump. “I just thought… well you’re not really a pony, so…”

Before I can answer, the unicorn beats me to it.

“No, Scooter. I think she’s real like us.” He then turns back to me to smile, though his words are clearly still for the pony next to him. “I saw her before that Nightterror wannabe zapped us.”

Scooter pouts at this.

“Phooee,” he complains, crossing his hooves as he sits down. “And I thought we could finally get out of here.”

I find myself unbelievably dazed by this sudden scenery and cast change, but with a hard shake of my head I try my best to reorient myself. The brain tumbler action quickly proves itself to have been one of the best calls I had made all day long, as my restarted brain next takes hold of what was just said and starts to connect the scary dots.

“Wait,” I interrupt, drawing the two kids’ attention back to me. “... Finally?” I repeat Scooter’s last words. “W-what do you mean ‘finally’? How… how long have we been here?”

At this question the two colts glance back at each other, scrunch their faces up in deep calculation, and then turn back to me.

“It’s been hours for sure,” says the white unicorn.

“Like, a bunch of hours,” his friend finishes. “It’s really hard to tell but it’s been awhile.”

“A-are you sure?” I plead to them both as I became painfully aware of the strain starting to take form in my chest.

“Yeah,” the pegasus repeats, crushing my hopes. “It’s about the one thing we are sure about in here, Miss Dragon.”

My heart shatters at this.

I… I’ve failed…

Dusk and his new friends are probably already in the forest by now…

… I didn’t come with…

The only thing I managed to do, to ‘help’, was… cause this.

“Oh Dusk…” I sob loudly as I’m overcome with the most extreme feeling of guilt I’ve ever felt in my twin lives. Seven years down the drain; I only managed to cause the group more stress! Now everypony is going to be distracted with their loved ones being... wherever the hell here is… and after I promised not to hurt Dusk again I…I...

“I-I really screwed up.” Sniff~ “I screwed up everything...”

As I sit back down on the road and choke back tears, curling up into the tiniest ball my stupid self could manage, I forget myself for a time as the disappointment washes over and engulfs me completely…

As a result I also forget that I’m not really alone right now.

“H-h-hey hey hey!” shouts Scooter, his eight year old mind clearly not mentally prepared to handle the sight of a crying baby dragoness. “D-don’t cry! It’s, um, g-gonna be okay! Right, Sweepy Belle?”

“Uh-huh! Scooteroll is right,” adds in his partner, whose tone is just a little bit more confident sounding then his own… even if it’s a little squeakier. “And I’m sure the big ponies are trying to get us back from wherever the hell this place is right now!”

Scooteroll blinks.

“Um... what’s ‘hell’?”

“Something my big brother says every now and then.”

“Your brother sounds weird.”

“Hey! He’s awesome I’ll have you know.”

Scooteroll tilts his head at this.

“If you say so. I’ve only met you, like, an hour ago so I’m just going to have to roll with it.”

“Would you say… Scooteroll with it??”

“... Never say that again.”

Now it’s Sweepy’s time to pout.

“You’re no fun.”

This causes me to chuckle quite a bit. As I do, I realize that my tears have stopped falling. Almost as if reading my mind, Sweepy resumes beaming warmly at me.

“That’s better,” he chimes happily even as his voice cracks. “Now you can help us figure a way out of here!”

I stare at him blankly for a split second before I narrow my eyes and nod my head determinedly.

It’s embarrassing that a child had to remind me, but all the same he’s right. I can play the blame game later. For now, we’ve gotta leave this place and find a way back to Equestria. Who knows what else could be going on right now? Sweepy offers me a hoof to get back up on my feet with, which I graciously accept. Now standing with the rest of them, I use my claws to rearrange my purse strap as I introduce myself properly. “I’m Barbara. Friends call me Barb.”

“I’m Scooteroll!” introduces the pegasus with a buzz of his tiny wings.

“And I’m Sweepy Belle,” answers the unicorn with his head held high, obviously channeling his big brother Elusive’s behavior. I remember Rarity and Sweetie Belle being sisters quite well from the show, so it didn’t take me any longer than a microsecond to put two and two together. Jason didn’t have a brother or any other kind of sibling if I remember correctly, so I can only assume that Sweepy is just an ordinary pony. This may change later as I learn more about Elusive himself, but I have bigger worries to think about right now. Him being just a normal pony is perfectly fine by me. “Did you… I guess we can call it waking up… just wake up, Barb?”

I nod my head, understanding both his question and his aside’s meaning. “Yeah I did. It didn’t feel like I went to sleep, or even woke up. There’s just this… gap in my memory... Have you two been up long?”

Scooteroll nods his head furiously. “Yeah! It was the same thing with me! One second I was in Ponyville, and the next I was floating around and junk. Which was super cool, by the way!” He chirps excitedly, whatever lingering fear disappearing as he reminisces. “Because I can’t do that normally, but I wasn’t able to really move around all that well... Then I bumped into Sweepy!”

“Literally,” Sweepy adds helpfully.

“He had just ‘woke’ up! And that was cool too, because we kinda recognized each other from class but we never really talked before, which makes sense cause we’re both blank flanks! You know how it is, right?”

“... Riiiggghhhttt,” I respond with a nod, trying to be polite.

I guess Sweepy doesn’t think the pleasantries are necessary though, as he next bluntly states that, “Dragons don’t get cutie marks, Scooter. She wouldn’t know.”

Scooter tilts his head to the side at this.

“Really? That’s dumb.How do they know their special talent then?”

“Maybe all dragons are just good at the same thing?” Sweepy suggests.

“Like what, fire breathing?”

“Or maybe gem eating.”

“Or hoarding!”

“OR BURNINATI-”

As cute and precious as this is, Dusk needs me right now. We gotta move forward. “Guys, focus,” I interject before we get any more off topic.

“Right right,” Scooter blushes as we resume. “So, yeah, we got together and started walking down this road. We tried these door thingys but none of them open. There’s also a lot of ponies scattered all over the place… but there has to be a way out of here. We know there is one!”

Interesting. “What makes you say that?” I inquire plainly.

Sweepy answers this time. “There were a lot more ponies here earlier, but now they’re gone. Some of them just blinked out suddenly, like they teleported.”

“It’s really creepy to see,” nods Scooter.

I digest this information, along with the few other clues I’ve been able to pick up since I… ‘woke’ up.

… Wait. Solaris' words from morning are coming back to me.

“... Once upon a time, there lived a pony who was born with an interesting gift. The realm of dreams was his domain...”

“Are they… waking up, you think?”

The two boys look at me blankly after my sudden suggestion.

“But… aren’t we already awake?” Scooteroll asks me, clearly confused.

I’m just as confused as him, but what I said makes a small amount of crazy sense, so I turn my head from side to side and stick to my guns. “No no,” I reply to him, formulating my thoughts with my tongue. “When we ‘woke’ up, it didn’t really feel like we woke up, right? We all agree on that. It felt like we just… appeared. There was no actual waking up involved, and I have no knowledge of coming here any other way. Yet here we are...”

My theorycrafting causes Sweepy’s eyes to suddenly widen in realization.

“Just like the beginning of a dream!” he chirps in confirmation, tying all of my loose thoughts together with one fabulous little bow.

“Exactly,” I nod in agreement, smiling at his youthful enthusiasm.

“Well then this will be easy!” interjects Scooter in equal good cheer.

He then slaps Sweepy in the face.

Hard.

“Ow!” the victim, and the more delicate looking one of the two, cries out in pain. “What’s the big idea?!”

Scooter flutters his eyes in confusion before again tilting his head like a bird.

“Isn’t that how you’re supposed to wake up from a dream?” he asks innocently.

“YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO HIT YOURSELF, DINGUS!”

“Hey quit shouting at me!”

I groan as the two colt’s argument devolves into a screaming contest. Boys will be boys I suppose. I tune out the rumble so I can better think. So pain doesn’t work for getting us out of here; for getting us to really wake up. And I’m pretty sure I’m right in thinking that this is a kind of… er... Dream Realm, I suppose you could call it. Solaris had mentioned there being a place where nightmares could be fought, so my current best guess is that this dilapidated dump is connected to his brother’s power. That has to be the case, because this ethereal plane can’t possibly exist in the world of Equus. The roads go on for seemingly forever for one thing, and did I mention how borked the gravity is here? ‘Cause it’s borked real bad. This has to be a dream… but why did The Nightterror send us here? Why trap all the foals at all? Are we bargaining chips? If that’s the case, how are ponies currently escaping? Is Nebula releasing us one by one? Ugh! Too many questions! I should start writing these do-

“Sis?”

Before I can dwell on the big ball of unanswered questions any further, one of the foreign voices I had heard earlier suddenly starts speaking again.

“Red Gala...?! Red Gala!”

I turn away from the other two colts and listen carefully for this new third one’s voice again. I think it’s coming from… below me? Cautiously I approach the edge of the star road and lean equally as carefully over the edge. This allows me to peer below. Sweepy Belle and Scooteroll quit their childish fighting during this and slide up next to me so that they can investigate this disturbance as well.

It doesn’t take us long to find the speaker; poor young Apple Buck can be seen talking to himself on a floating piece of the broken road aways away from us.

“Red Gala!” he shouts again, scanning every which way. “A-ah hear you but ah can’t… Big Sis!”

And then, as if he was never there to begin with, he disappears into thin air.

I stare worriedly at this.

“... Is that kid from our class?” asks Scooter to Sweepy.

“I think so,” he scratches his head. “Maybe the morning one? I never talked to him though.”

“Huh.”

I look back and forth between the two children.

“Did that… not surprise you?” I ask them in confusion, trying to understand.

In response Sweepy does the pony equivalent to a shrug by raising a leg.

“It sounded like he was talking to somepony,” he formulates aloud, imitating how I broke down our last revelation.

“Yeah... maybe they woke him up?” Scooter suggests. “I saw it before.”

“Me too,” continues Sweepy, allowing me to further understand their lax attitude towards what just happened. “I was scared at first, but knowing this is a dream makes it a little less scary.”

“So,” I repeat, gathering the information present into a cohesive whole. “We need somepony else to wake us up to get us out of here?”

“But…” Sweepy adds in, mulling over this part as well. “Wouldn’t that be the first thing they'd would do for us in this situation?”

Dang. That’s right. I put a claw on my lip and think about this harder. My brow tightens in concentration.

“Maybe… we’re supposed to wake up at a certain time?” Scooteroll throws out, trying to see if the idea would stick.

I mule this over.

“... What would that time even be?” I wonder loudly, thinking that we might be on the right track but not fully convinced yet.

“... Maybe…” Sweepy adds yet again. He’s quite the little puzzle solver, I’m quickly discovering. “... Maybe the time is when we’ve had enough sleep?”

We all fall silent at this.

I rewind my mind to this morning yet again, and recall in great detail Princes Solaris’ comments about his brother’s supposed weakness for crying babes.

Or, in this case, tired foals.

“That’s stupid enough to make sense,” I admit after a time, unable to deny that it all made sound logic.

Didn’t keep me from facepalming though.

“What kind of monster makes sure you’re well rested?!” Sweepy squeaks, just as flabbergasted by the answer we came up with as me.

“One who has a ‘fondness for children’,” I air quote using my beloved gift of fingers. “I guess that means he wants to make sure his subjects aren’t cranky.”

“Oh come on! That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Sweepy deadpans.

“But all the pieces fit,” I counter. “Kinda… It’s the best guess we’ve got until we get the answer from the pony’s mouth.” A thought occurs. “Do you know anything useful about Nightterror Nebula, Sweepy? Like any local stories or rumors?”

I know a little bit about The Nightterror legend from what I read in the book I bought for Dusk the other day, and I know a tiny bit more than that thanks to the Nightterror Nights I attended in Canterlot (last year I went as a pretty princess. Don’t judge me), but beyond that I find myself woefully unprepared for this sort of situation. I had been banking so hard on this night playing out just like it did in the show, with only my addition to the forest scenes to insure that everything else went smoothly, that I never felt the need to prep myself any further than what was necessary! Come on, it was a fair assumption! Nightmare Moon only appears for two episodes! Never did I dream that this would happen. I’m going to have to remember to really prepare myself better for the other three villains I know of. For Discord, that changeling queen thing (Chrysalis I think her name was, according to Ashley), and for the last one I got to see before my viewing days ended; King Sombra. Hopefully the episodes after that, the ones I didn’t get to see, were full of nothing but cute slice of life episodes. I quite liked those ones better.

Knowing my luck, that won’t be the case in the slightest.

After thinking about it for a time, Sweepy shakes his head. “Not really. Most the stuff I know about him comes from Nightterror Night. But there’s no way he’s the real Nightterror Nebula… right?”

“... Dusk Shine thought so,” I confide in the colt guiltily. “He was researching this prophecy about him, b-but the Prince and I brushed him aside and said he was crazy.”

Sure we both had ulterior motives, but everything I just admitted was 100% true.

“I’m a lousy assistant…” I speak honestly as my head droops.

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

I lift my head back up and meet Sweepy’s eyes.

“I’m sure you did the best job you could do,” the colt reassures truthfully, with no hint of manipulation in his voice. “He was calling your name before we went under, I could hear it. I don’t think he would have if you were lousy at your job.

“He cares about you, Barb, even if you didn’t believe him one time.”

I’m… left speechless.

“... How old are you?” I ask, generally surprised by how this conversation went down.

“Eight,” he answers, confirming my earlier guess. He taps his chest proudly and adds, “Though I’ve been told I’m mature for my age.”

“I can see that,” I nod, really impressed.

“Yup, all thanks to my big brother… but we’re getting distracted again,” he admits, his face turning red. “I-I don’t think that pony is the real Nightterror Nebula. He’s just an imitator. You agree with me, right Scooter?”

“...”

“... Scooter?”

It’s only now that it dawns on us that we haven’t heard from Scooteroll in a tick. The two of us turn towards our third… only to discover that his ears are twitching and that he’s looking away from us altogether.

Sweepy and I watch him queerly for this.

“Um… you okay?” Sweepy beats me to the punch in asking.

Scooter is quiet for a moment, but then his head jerks up and he beams brightly.

“Uncle-”

And with that he disappears, just like Apple Buck before him. Taken aback at the suddenness, Sweepy and I turn towards each other and simply stare.

“...”

“...”

“... I never asked him where he lives,” Sweepy breaks the eye contact first by whimpering, clearly heartbroken. “And summer vacation just started too...” his ears lower, full of sadness.

They then perk up a second later, and begin to twitch.

My heart races at the repeating sight. “Sweepy…?” I poke him gently on the head as he starts to stare off into space.

“…Dad?” he asks absentmindedly, confirming my fears.

He’s about to wake up.

A million little thoughts run through my mind as the end draws near for my last friend here; so much still left to figure out, so much to plan… and oh crap something big just dawned on me! “Sweepy Belle!” I plead desperately as I reach for and grab his ears, to turn his face towards my own. “Wait! Please don’t go yet! I-I don’t think I have anypony to wake me up on the other side!”

“What?” he asks as his attention is dragged between me and the waking ponies calling for him.

“Dusk is probably going to try to fight The Nightterror!” I shout over the voices from the other side. I hear the ghostly whispers of a concerned mother and father in my ears as I tighten my hold on the young colt’s own. “That’s just the kind of pony he is!” My mind blazes at high speeds as I try to recall the show yet again. We’re so off the rails now that it’s not even funny, but if there’s a small chance that one thing is still accurate…

“The library! I might be sleeping in the library!”

“Where?” the unicorn whispers. “Barb I… I-I can’t hear you anymore.”

“The library!” I scream as the volume increases for the otherworldly voices my grip is causing me to hear. “Please! The library! P-please don’t leave me alone here...”

“Wher-” Sweepy tries to ask me one more time, but he doesn’t get to finish before his eyes unfocus and his attention is lost.

“... Mom?”

Then he was gone too.

And I’m once again left alone.

...

… Thus is my lot in this life.

You’d think it would get easier, but it never does.

Scooter was right; it’s hard to tell time in the Dream Realm.

I believe it was only a few hours ago since I saw the two future crusaders, but I think I would be equally right in saying that it could have been days ago. As I continued my wandering of the illusionary dimension, I tried reaching out to other ponies and tried to share with them what the three of us had worked so hard to uncover.

Key word being tried.

I was unlucky a few times in which I would approach a pony only for them to just so happen to wake up at the same time and disappear. Other times I received a frightened response as, go figure, normal kids are afraid of fire breathing dragons. Who knew? I did meet a couple of nice, if a little dimwitted, fillies my age named Sugar and Spice, but they left just as quickly as everypony else; long before I could ask them for help.

It was at this point that the true horror of this situation made itself known to me.

When it became apparent that I was the only one left.

Over time the screams and sobbing had become inaudible, until finally they were nonexistent. Where once the sky was filled with scared foals, now it was as dead and barren as I assume it was before we arrived. Everyone must have woken up by now.

Everyone but me.

I feel terrible in admitting that I wish somepony was still here with me. Now by myself and truly alone, I found the time to sit and reflect on this day.

And I found the time to write in this book again.

Quite the first entry, huh?

I wrote long ago that this journal would become my diary in the future, and that future is now it seems. Still coded in English, and still full of my innermost thoughts concerning reincarnation, The Poisoned Barb will now be used to keep my raging thoughts and opinions about any given day in check.

My opinions on today, for example, can be summed up in one simple declaration.

It sucked eggs.

I woke up only to get interrogated by Solaris, I then fought every step of the way to get Dusk to move his lazy flank and make friends. After that I got confused over Rainbow Dash's gender identity, Elusive’s identity period, almost got crushed by a Manly Fluttershy, and I failed to stay awake to help Dusk and friends with The Nightterror!

Now I’m stuck in this dream limbo for lord knows how much longer.

And the worst part is that I don’t know if all my sacrifices and lies even amounted to anything.

“No!” I yell into the void, vigorously slicing through this last sentence. “No no no no!! The were worth it damn it!!”

A teardrop drops on my book and warps the words.

S-stupid little thing. Where did, sniff~, t-that come from?

“I just… have to have faith that it worked.” I choke up. “I just have to have faith that those stallions are the heroes this world needs them to be. I-I have to have faith that my choices were the right ones.

“Faith that my birth brought something good for this world.”

The uncaring void ignores me as I sniffle in melancholy.

...

...

“... It wasn’t all bad,” I finally speak again, forcing myself to see the silver lining. “Yeah… there were good bits..."

...

"...Solaris doesn’t know the truth about me, but he’s still willing to help me out...”

Yeah...

“... I-I made a friend with Red Gala today, along with all of Dusk’s soon to be friends.”

… Yeah!

“I… I even know all of the cutie mark crusaders now! Ponies my age! T-that’s pretty cool.”

Yeah... Yeah!!

“And... there’s a tiny, itty bitty sliver of hope that I’m not alone on this world! I MIGHT NOT BE ALONE!!”

YEAH!!!

“My life isn’t meaningless!”

YEAH!!!

“I have friends!”

YEAH!!!

“And I’m going to be okay!!”

YEAH YEAH YEAAAAHHHH!!!

“I should write this down!”

I pick back up my book,

lick the tip of my quill to moisten it…

...

… and then realize that this is a dream dimension, and that everything I’ve been writing about for the last few hours probably wasn’t recorded in any real physical form whatsoever.

…

…

… SON OF AN ABSOLUTE BIT-

“Barb! Wake up, Barb!”

… Wha?

Did… did I just hear a voice?

“Please… BARB!”

With eyes widening, I jump to my feet as a familiar voice rings softly in my head.

“Is that…?” I ask nobody as my head swivels back and forth.

“Barb!!”

The world around me turns into a bright white afterimage as I gradually begin…

… to wake up.

“Barb!” cheers Sweepy Belle as he wraps his forelegs around me. “You’re up!”

“S-sweepy?” I groan weakly as I return to the world of the waking. The sight of dusty old books all around me is enough to convince me that that is where I now am.

Well… that and the pain and tiredness coursing through every fiber of my being.

Ow.

“You’re crushing me,” I squirm about pathetically.

“Oops,” the colt’s cheeks redden as he releases me. “S-sorry, but I’m so glad you’re awake!”

Woozily I try to stand up out of the basket I find myself in, but I end up tripping and almost falling on my face. If it wasn’t for Sweepy’s quick rescue, said face planting would have most certainly happened. The smile I grant him says “thank you,” while my actual mouth says, “I’m just glad you actually heard me when I said I might be in the library!”

Sweepy’s face remains red, though this time I think it's for a different kind of embarrassment.

“Actually... I didn’t hear what you said,” he admits looking away. “I’m only here because I found one of Bubble Berry’s old party invitations about hosting one in this place. Complete random guess. Sorry… again.”

“Hey, you still got me up,” I reassure, patting him on the head. “All that matters is that you’re here.”

“Well… I would have gotten here sooner, Barb,” he begins to explain for me as he runs a hoof through his mane, correcting the ‘damage’ I had inflicted on it. “but I had to find a way to sneak away from my folks. They’ve been a teeny bit overprotective of me since, well, you know…”

“Actually I don’t know, Sweepy Belle” I retort sarcastically as I let go of him and try to stand on my own. “I just woke up, remember?”

Again he blushes.

“Right right. Well… we were really close with our guesses! Nightterror Nebula, who's the actual real Nebula if you can believe that, put all the kids in Ponyville to sleep so he could adjust us to his new ‘eternal night’ sleep schedule.” Sweepy then yawns. “It really messed us up…"

"Why just kids?" I inquire, trying to put the last few pieces of the puzzle together mentally.

Sweepy pony shrugs.

"Don't know. The papers think that he only started with the foals because of our weaker magical defenses or something.”

Well... a good enough explanation until we can hear it from Nightterror Nebula himself, I suppose.

“A few ponies woke up all on their own after a while though, Barb,” Sweepy continues on. “We were wrong there. It was a good guess though.”

“Then…” I start to ask, wrapping my head around things as they were revealed to me. “... why was I the last one in there? I must have slept the longest…”

“Maybe you were just really really tired?” he answers my simple question with a simple answer.

And you know what? As much as I hate to admit it, that actually makes sense. I stayed up late for the sun rising and I stayed up late the night before to start writing my novel. Boy does that feel like it was forever ago. With how much has happened, I can’t believe that it was only…

Only…

...

… There’s a ringing in my ears.

I’m overlooking an important detail.

A detail that vitally important.

A detail that’s now pushing itself violently to the forefront of my mind.

A detail that’s now causing me to hyper analyze every little detail available to me, from Sweepy’s words to the state of the room to my dwindling show knowledge, and to process down the information until only a single question remains.

The question of why Sweepy is the one waking me up...

… and not Dusk…

Only one answer comes to mind.

I pray to the high heavens that it’s wrong.

“Sweepy…” I start to ask, my words slow and deliberate; my whole body not wanting to hear the answer.

Anticipating this, Sweepy Belle’s ears droop as he looks away.

The body language is all the answer I really need. I don’t want to hear more now; I shouldn’t ask for more.

But… I need to know.

“... What… w-what time is it?”

Sweepy… answers my question with another question.

“... You said that Dusk was probably going to fight The Nightterror, right?”

“Sweepy…”

“Do… d-do you think my brother probably went with him too?”

“Sweepy Belle…”

“Cause, um… you s-see…”

“Sweepy,” I ask one final time as I place a claw on the shaking pony’s withers. “Please… just tell me…”

Sweepy looks me in the eyes before shaking off the contact and walking away towards a closed window sill. With a bounce he jumps up onto the bed next to the frame and uses his new vantage point to reach the string attached to the blinds. With the string fully wrapped around his hoof, the young colt turns to me gravely and answers,

“The Nightterror came three days ago, Barb.”

Like his brother before him, Sweepy Belle has the great misfortune of having to open the curtains to a nightmarish sight.

In this case, a darkened sky.

“It’s been midnight ever since.”

Entry 2, Part 1 (My Little Pony)

Ponyville is nothing if not resilient. Eternal Night, while horrific in concept alone, doesn’t also grant ponies an eternal sick day from work it seems. It's the only explanation I have for why the entire town is already back to business after only three days. Shops are open, errands are being run, children are cautiously out playing in the darkness; beyond the sudden lantern obsession and the increased royal guard presence, one would be hard pressed to tell that anything was out of the ordinary. The crisis has come and is here to stay; no point in crying over spilled milk, I suppose. Everypony has had their panic attacks… mourned… and now have to get on with their lives full of groceries, summer camps, and the latest in sports.

As I trudge through the illuminated marketplace, absentmindedly listening to just how normal the conversations sound, I find myself unable to feel anything towards how messed up this whole situation is. Their Prince is gone, as well as their sun, but hey; somepony has to put food on the table. Is this just how things are going to be now? Is this just life? How will we stay warm? How will we grow food? Where is The Nightterror now? Will he be merciful to us? I know that these are the questions floating through everponies’ heads right now; I know that the same fear Nebula instilled in us so long ago still lingers in each of our hearts…

… But I’m finding it hard to really care right now.

My mind is clouded and my emotions numb as my feet move without my input and continue to carry me towards my destination.

To Sweet Apple Acres.

Knock knock knock

The sound of old wood creaking and bending can be heard inside the building in front of me, as somepony on the other side of the door trots through the old farmhouse. The noise stops once the occupant reaches the front of the dwelling and slowly opens the door for me.

“Eeyu-” begins to ask Red Gala as she lifts her head to look at her visitor. The massive pony’s words stop as she sees only empty air, but she quickly regains them as she looks downwards and spots me by her front hooves. “Barb?” she asks, the concern highly evident in her voice.

I stare back up at her.

“... Can I come in?” I ask after a moment, once a rogue icy breeze helps remind me where I am.

Red Gala, though clearly still worried for me, steps aside and holds the door open. “E… eeyup,” she replies simply.

Muttering a quick thanks, I enter the home and take in the rustic sights. It’s shaped like a barn on the outside, but inside is anything but. Walls are filled with framed pictures, couches are lined with hoofstiched cloths, and the sheer history of this building can be seen in every nick and dent and scratch. This place is everything the Library is not; this place is a home.

Home…

… I find myself being ushered towards a couch by the kindly prodding of a big red hoof. Said hoof reaches down below my tail and gently aids me in getting up on top of the seat’s comfy green cushions. Red Gala gives me a small smile once I’m fully situated, and then slowly retreats to the next room before I can give her thanks again. I hear a water faucet being turned on, and a moment later I can also hear the tell tale signs of a teakettle settling. As I patiently wait, I remain silent so that I can better listen to all the other noises this house is producing. Hoof steps can be heard all over, mostly centered in the back towards the barn portion of this dwelling. That must be where the rest of the extended apple family is hanging out. Makes sense. I didn’t see anypony tending to the pitch black fields on my way in. I can hear elderly snoring as well; Grampa Smith must be asleep in the room right above me. Boy is he loud.

So loud, in fact, that I didn’t hear Red Gala’s noisy trotting as she re enters the room. It’s only when a cup of steaming hot tea was offered to me did I notice her return.

“Thank you,” I state as I gratefully accept the drink with my claws and sip it.

The couch sinks a little as my host mare lowers herself down on to it. With my claws I cover my tea so as not to spill any of it, at least until my friend can get situated. Once she’s seated, she replies with a “Eeyup” before taking off the yoke around her neck and setting it down on the coffee table. With that task is complete, she starts taking rewarding swigs from her own teacup that result in tiny, adorable little hums of approval.

Together, the two of us sit silently as we sip our tea and simply… be. I’m not being asked anything, nopony is barging in to interrupt us; with the exception of the other ponies in the house everything is nice and quiet.

It’s lovely.

It’s just what I needed.

It’s…

… not meant to be.

“You’re wondering why I’m here,” I ask, though it’s not really a question. More of a statement for my less talkative friend’s benefit.

“... Eeyup,” Red Gala answers after a brief pause. Maybe she’s debating on whether or not to pry, but it’s certainly within her right.

Gulping a large amount of the tea (which is quite delicious and as you might have guessed apple-infused) to calm myself, I stare into what little remains in my cup and gather my thoughts.

“... The trains to Canterlot are being restricted to military usage only right now, Red,” is what I choose to start with as I explain myself. I find it easier for the words to come as I stare into my reflection in the teacup, so I forgo looking into Red Gala’s eyes and simply continue as is. “And none of the balloons or pegasus chariots are allowed to depart right now as well. I-I’m stuck here in Ponyville...”

Red Gala starts to inhale, ready to comment, but I choose to ignore her as the words start rushing out of me faster.

“I can’t get a scroll out to Gleaming Shield either,” I go on, uncaring if she only vaguely knew who that is from my earlier stories. “S-she must be casting her shield spells in Canterlot. I used up my one emergency scroll seal for her and now I can’t write to her at all! And the ones for Solaris are just getting returned back to me!”

It feels as though my heart is slowly being crushed inside my chest.

“I-I don’t have anywhere else to go…”

As the helplessness of it all sinks in.

“Sweepy Belle’s family wanted nothing to do with a d-dragon…”

As my options dwindle to nothing.

“We didn’t even know w-where Scooteroll lives…”

As… as…

Red Gala places a hoof on my shoulder. Shakily I turn my head and look up into her big, green, judgeless eyes.

“Barb?” she finally asks me plainly, as is her style. “Where’s that fella that came to town with you?” Straight and to the point. “Where’s… Dusk?”

And that was it.

That was the plunger push that caused the dam to blow right the hell up.

“GONE!!” I sob loudly, unable to hold my grief back any longer. I bury my face in her chest as I grossly hiccup. “And it’s a-all my f-f-fault!!”

My mind shuts down after this, and the next thing I know a large amount of time has passed and my nose feels dry and raw. Through puffy eyes I watch as Red Gala, having left the couch earlier without me noticing, returns to the room with the teakettle in her teeth. With a tilt of her head she refills a cup that had been placed on the coffee table. I can only assume it’s mine, as I can’t recall where it had wandered off to in the… half hour, according to the clock on the wall… where my higher brain functions decided to check out.

“Thank you,” I utter softly for the third time since I’ve arrived. “... Sorry…”

“Nnope,” states the mare after refilling her own cup. “Nothin’ to be sorry about, and nothin’ to blame yourself for. You cry all you wan-”

“Is Barb okay, Big Sis?”

Weakly I look upwards towards the source of the third voice, and spot Apple Buck’s little worried face peeking out from the top of the staircase.

Turning to address her youngest brother, Red Gala puts on a braver front then I and states, “Eeyup.” For good measure she adds, “Girl talk,” in the hopes of scaring him off.

It seems to work, as the young colt’s ears droop and he takes a step backwards towards the upstairs.

“O-okay,” he answers, clearly still concerned but not wanting to push things further. Such a sweetheart. “... Can you please tuck me in when your done, Red?”

“Eeyup.”

“T-thanks.”

Tiny retreating hoofbeats follow the school age earth pony as he, I assume, heads towards his bedroom for the night… well the continued night. Day four is fast approaching...

With a sigh, the remaining pony brings her attention back to me. “Be right back,” she says as she begins to trot upstairs herself. Whether to further assure me that her departure was necessary, or to stealthily protect Apple Buck’s pride, Red Gala tacks on that, “He’s been too scared to go to sleep on his own since that no good Nightterror fella zapped him and since Applejack’s… yeah.”

“I understand,” I reply shortly. “Been having troubles sleeping myself.”

Red Gala doesn’t say anything as she nods her head in understanding and resumes heading up above. In her absence I drink my tea and use a tissue to attempt to make myself more presentable. Crying isn’t going to solve anything, but it feels like the only thing I have left. Four days… Dusk is probably… p-probably dea-

I force my mind shut yet again as I take a strong sip of my drink. I listen to the ambient sounds of the apple household once more as I wait. There’s still murmurs and trotting noises from the back of the building, and Grandpa is still snoring. A few minutes pass and everything remains mostly the sam-

Wait, no, that’s a lie. I can hear a sort of lullaby being sung upstairs by a deep, yet clearly feminine voice. Is that Red Gala? Though I can’t make out words, the melody and instruments can be heard clearly through the wood. I think I’m hearing a flute, and maybe a bell… it’s nice.

… Whether the flute and bells are real is anyone’s guess. An oddity about ponies that I don’t think I’ve ever been able to write down and explain is that their magic, regardless of race, is able to affect all five senses. You can see it, you can feel it, you can hear it, you can surprisingly taste it, and yes you can smell it as well. Conjured food allows one to taste it in all it’s horrid glory, and all spells usually leave behind a variant on a plastic like odor. Hearing magic is beautiful though, and it’s been described to me as a feeling from deep within a pony’s soul taking over their lips and enhancing every little thing they do. As they sing, the magic within their body sings too and can produce the instrumental sounds I’m hearing now. This phenomenon doesn’t make everypony amazing at singing, and starting unprompted can be considered rude, but it can allow them to easily sing harmoniously with others without ever having to learn the song.

In summation; the ponies really do sing the songs from the show, and their arcane bodies produce the music. Instruments were invented in this world to enhance and better control this instinctual power, which is insane to think about. It’s an insane concept to think about all together, and it’s definitely a phenomenon that can only happen here in the magical land of Equestria…

… but Equestria isn’t feeling that magical to me anymore.

After a time the music from up above stops, and the house shakes as Red Gala tries her best to slink away back to the living room. “Thanks for lettin’ me take care of that,” she speaks in a whisper, trying to let her brother sleep.

“You’ve already done enough for me, Red,” I whisper back with cheeks, well, red. “More than enough, actually… Thanks for listening.”

“Eeyup,” she smiles back. “It’s what friends do, Barb. If you need a place to sleep, we ain’t got a lot of space left... but you can certainly sleep with me tonight.”

“Red, I can-”

But she raises a hoof in objection to my protests.

“Ah insist. You got caught up in that whole dream trap nonsense too, right?” Her expression shifts to one full of warmth as she adds, “You’ll be safe with me tonight, little buddy. Hehe, you could even call it a sleepover if it makes you feel better about it,” she chuckles.

While I’m thoroughly touched by the offer, a question dawns on me from this.

“How did you know?” I inquire, referring to the mention of the dream trap.

“Ah was in Town Hall that day too,” she replies as she sits back down, again causing the couch to shake. “In the back with Gramps. That Dusk fella was sure shouting up quite a storm about you at Nightterror Nebula.”

I blink at this, taken aback. “H-he was? What did he say?”

Her coat almost made it impossible to tell, but I think Red Gala is blushing. “L-let’s just say he was sayin’ things inappropriate to talk about it polite company and leave it at that.”

That’s… actually kinda touching... in a twisted sort of way.

“There’s another else he said though, Barb, that I’d like to ask you about if that’s okay.”

Taken aback, I stare at my big red friend and try to fathom what it is she could be talking about.

“G-go right ahead, Red,” I offer to her despite not knowing where this is heading. “It’s the least I can do for you.”

With a nod, Red Gala first pauses to gather her thoughts before she next asks me her question.

“How... did Dusk know that that pony was the real Nightterror Nebula?”

My heart skips a beat.

This…

…

… This is just what I needed.

My eyes wander to the purse at my side.

Red Gala continues, taking no note of my reaction as she instead stares out at her yoke on the coffee table. Maybe the sight of it, and all it personally represents, is helping her concentrate… “He was the only one in that room that called that pony by his name. Not even the Mayor had any guesses!”

“He…” I begin formulating my thoughts, eyes zooming back to my host. “... Was researching an old prophecy before we got here. He thought that it spoke about the Man in the Moon escaping during the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Did he tell the Prince about it?”

I bobble my head yes. “He did… He didn’t believe him though.”

“... But he was right about it... right?”

Again I nod my head yes. “I don’t think we can really deny that fact now, Red.”

The room grows quiet.

… I stealthily move my purse into my lap in this time.

I…

…

I... didn’t come here just to cry.

I didn’t come here just to give up.

… I-I didn’t come here with a solid plan, but I did come here with the makings of one.

I came here to recuperate.

I came here to sort out my mind.

I came here,

“After you fell asleep, Barb, ah saw him run off to the library…”

because despite how little we’ve gotten to know each other thus far,

“... and Applejack followed him.”

I know a woman willing to do anything for her family when I see one.

“Do you know where my brother is, Barbara?” rumbles Red Gala lowly, her eyes focused and burning with righteous fury. She's knows I'm hiding information now. My revealing that Dusk is missing too, and the honest blaming of myself over it, were the final puzzle pieces this mare needed to complete the picture I was trying to paint for her.

Applejack is gone.

Her precious hearty brother.

One who was last seen following Dusk Shine into the great unknown...

My precious nerdy bookworm.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that we're in the same boat, her and I. All my actions thus far were to erase the difference in age, species, and backgrounds that separate us… and to make this simple fact a hundred times more clear.

To save our families, we need to work together.

Thusly then, with eyes equally as determined appearing as her own, my response to Red Gala’s loaded question is to smile sadly, reach into my purse,

Flop!

and to lay a single book on the coffee table.

A book titled The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide.

“I might have an inkling, Red.”

Entry 2, Part 2 (Do you know...)

There’s a benefit to having friends less filled with mind numbing angst than yourself; they usually have better ideas than your own.

Red Gala is such an angst-less friend, thank goodness. Though she’s just as frightened about the status of her missing brother as I am about Dusk, she seems to have a better head on her shoulders than I do right now. Once I explained how Dusk had left the book about the Elements in the library before departing, and how I ‘theorized’ that they went into the Everfree Forest to search for them, the farm mare quickly came up with a battle plan for how to save everypony. Step one was actually kinda obvious in retrospect.

Step one was to talk to the Mayor.

Riding through the chilly night upon my friend's back, the two of us reach Town Hall and discover in short order that the chaos resulting from the Summer Sun Celebration had never really left this place. In the sunless days that had passed, the whole area had been converted into a sort of command center for both the Ponyville officials and the military ones left behind from the Prince’s personal entourage. Fliers made up of civilians, guards, and even an on duty Wonderbolt can be seeing racing in and out of the many opened windows; providing crucial information about the outside world for all parties present. Unicorn guards work their magic upon arcane circles in the far corner; casting scryer spell after scryer spell until their horns visibly grew black with mana burnout. A collection of earth ponies are coordinating the whole effort where they can, sharing with the guards information pertaining to the lay of the land, while others are galloping in and out of the building with their strong backs being used to transport equipment and supplies.

In the center of the whole operation stands Ponyville’s de facto leader. According to Red Gala, his name is Mayor Mustang. The graying, light brown earth pony barks orders to all who would listen; the impossible task of keeping this town running through what could well be a climate disaster unseen since the days of the Windigos has obviously taken its toll on the poor stallion. Bags can be seen under his eyes, and his usually solid white mane has bits of his (supposedly natural) pinkness starting to peek through. Despite these difficulties, however, he remains standing in the face of this great challenge. Even as townsfolk approach him, demanding answers he most likely can't provide, the monocle bearing pony stands firm and expertly addresses the concerns as they come. He makes his commitment to solving this crisis well known to all.

“Wow,” I mutter lowly. “Gotta han-, er, hoof it to him; dude handles himself well under pressure.”

“Eeyup,” my steed retorts. “Better than anypony else could in this situation, ah reckon.”

I nod my head in agreement, even if Red Gala couldn’t see it while I was riding on her back. “I… I really should have come here first, huh?”

“Eeyuuuup,” Gala again replies, though the ending part is extended as if to offer me a follow up remark.

Blushing, I take the hint. “A-and I really should stop beating myself over what I should or shouldn’t have done.”

“Eeyup,” she chirps happily with my response.

We had a… ahem… intense conversation about me blaming myself for everything on the way over here. Specifics were never addressed, thank goodness, but it was pretty obvious that I was starting to go down a slippery slope. Red Gala can be really insightful and caring when she actually feels like talking. One on one conversations seems to be more her speed; she really clams up when it comes to groups though. This begs the question...

“How are we going to get his attention, Re-”

CRASH!!

With a start, I stare wide eyed in surprise as the stack of neatly categorized filing cabinets next to us collapses over in a horrifically loud display. My surprise doesn't stem from the simple act of them falling over, no... Instead it stems from the large red hoof that had applied pressure to the structure and caused said event in the first place.

Well… ask a stupid question, I guess.

Our wish to have the Mayor’s attention is soon granted as all eyes turn to us. I find myself again cursing lucky Red Gala’s thick crimson coat for preventing her blushing cheeks from being as visible as my own. Her’s is the perfect poker face.
Mine is the perfect imitation of a deer in the headlights.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Demands Mayor Mustang as he marches his way through the room and pushes his muzzle up to Red Gala’s own. “Do you have any idea how much that’s set our search efforts back, young lady?!” he yells, uncaring of the height difference.

“Eeyup,” my friend states completely neutral, refusing to flinch.

This declaration causes Mustang’s expression to change. It softens even further as he removes his monocle, breathes into it, wipes it with his tie, and then places it back where it came from. A look of happy recognition soon erases the angry one and changes the overall mood in the blink of an eye.

“Ah! The eldest apple sibling!” he greets Red Gala in his new good cheer. “My apologies! The lack of sleep seems to be doing me no favors!”

“Nnope,” Red Gala concurs honestly.

“Haha! Indeed!”

“Hehe..."

“...”

"..."

“... You still need to pick that up though, missie.”

With a sigh, Red Gala groans loudly, “Eeyup,” before taking a knee and gently shaking me off to the ground. I raise an eyebrow at her for this, but this just causes Gala to use her muzzle to scoot me closer to Mayor Mustang.

“Hmph, how troublesome,” Mustang complains to himself under his breath. “And after all the work I’ve put into trying to find her brother...” He then spots me. “Oh! Er… hello?”

After wasting a second by staring blankly at the Mayor, I look back towards Red Gala one last time and spot the motioning of her eyes. It’s at this point that I stupidly catch the hint. Oh. Right. She doesn’t like talking to groups. Guess it falls on me then. Typical. Well… here goes nothing.

“Greetings, Mayor Mustang,” I reply as formally as I can. Come on Noble etiquette classes, don’t fail me now! “I am terribly sorry to interrupt you during these troubled times, but I come baring information most vital.”

Mustang uses a hoof to rub his chin.

“Wait,” he answers after a moment of reflection. “You’re the one who yawned during The Nightterror’s speech. The dragon.”

I nod my head in acknowledgement, before reaching into my purse and pulling out one of Prince Solaris’ magical scroll seals.

“This is correct, sir,” I answer, flashing the object like a badge. “I am Barbara The Dragoness; Assistant to Apprentice Dusk Shine, Squire to Prince Solaris, Property of House Shin-”

“PROPERTY?!”

Red Gala’s outburst turns every head in the room towards her, but she ignores them all as her flabbergasted expression is aimed squarely at me.

Caught off guard at the interruption, my cheeks soon turn as bright as a tomato. “Oh… d-did I forget to mention that part?” I stutter, shying away from her new hardened gaze. “Oops. It’s just a l-legal definition, so that Noble ponies don’t throw temper tantrums and think they can get away with kidnapping dragon eggs. It really doesn’t mean anything, honest!”

“...”

“... Dusk’s family loves me,” I try to convince my concerned friend. “I know Gleaming loves me, and you saw that Dusk does too. I know I’m loved. That’s enough, right?”

“...”

“...”

“... Eeyup,” Red Gala eventually relents, allowing me to continue. I should probably rethink how I introduce myself in an official capacity for Ponyville...

“Like I was saying, Mayor,” I proceed. “I’m connected to the Prince, and I came here this week with his direct apprentice Dusk Shine. I have information about our current situation that you need to hear.”

Having recovered himself from the outburst, Mustang retorts, “Really.” He resumes rubbing his chin. “If that’s the case, my dear, then why have you not approached me earlier?”

“The reason is twofold, sir,” I reply, now well aware how quiet the room is becoming thanks to my speech. I have the floor. “Firstly, as you no doubt noticed during the celebrations, I was trapped in the same dream limbo as the rest of the foals of this town. I met the age requirement, because I’m only seven.”

“Goodness! You’re quite well spoken for your age!”

“Thank you,” I brush his compliment aside without a thought. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have anypony to wake me up from that realm so I was forced to wait for aid.”

“How terrifying!”

“I-it was.”

“You’re a brave little filly.”

“Thank you,” again I brush the praise aside. “Once I woke up, I found myself alone in this town and completely lost on what to do... Red Gala encouraged me to seek you out, sir. She informed me that you're trying to locate the Prince, as well as other missing ponies.”

“Eeyup,” added Gala around the stack of papers left in her mouth from cleaning.

“I see…” the older pony hums, digesting what I’ve so far disclosed. “And your friend is right, little lady. We are trying to locate Prince Solaris as our number one priority at the moment, though quite a number of my citizens have sadly disappeared as well..." He then shakes his head, and narrows his eyes slightly before addressing me again. "Their friends and families are counting on us to return them safely. We may lack the power to fight The Nightterror, but we can at least do this much.

"So then, Miss Barbara; what is this so called vital information that you have for me? I'd rather like to get back to our search efforts, post haste.”

The grip I have on my purse tightens at this.

Well… here we go.

Probably the greatest deviation from the show I can possibly do right now.

This could potentially change a lot.

This could ruin the series premier.

This could snowball into unspeakable horror…

...

… And that’s perfectly fine by me.

I just want my Dusk back. I want Red Gala’s little brother back too. I want Sweepy’s big brother back; I want this town’s number one party planner back, as well as their number one weather pony, and their number one gentle giant.

I want my sky back.

“Dusk Shine was researching a prophecy connected to the return of The Nightterror before we arrived in Ponyville,” I explain to all those listening as I reach into my bag and present The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. “He predicted that this might happen, and never stopped his searching even in the final moments. When I woke up, I found this book laying out in the empty library. It details a weapon powerful enough to potentially reseal Nightterror Nebula in the moon.”

Murmurs begin to spread amongst the gathered ponies.

“It was left behind, a-and I haven’t seen Dusk since I woke up.” I swallow my bubbling fear and finish my speech strongly. “I believe that he must have tried to seek out these Elements in their last known resting place; the ancient castle of the royal pony brothers in the Everfree Forest. I also believe that he didn’t go in alone. The other missing ponies Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Elusive, Butterscotch, and Bubble Berry were slowly becoming friends with him before everything went down. Red Gala can confirm that she saw her brother chase after Dusk, who left after the fleeing Nebula. She could not pursue, due to her other brother’s sleeping state.”

“Eeyup,” Gala adds.

“I now believe that all six of these ponies are lost in the Everfree Forest, probably scared or hurt or… d… d-dead.”

The murmurs stop completely at this.

“... That’s quite a theory there, Barbara.” speaks Mayor Mustang after a moment, forcing all eyes to shift to him. “And a little outlandish, if I may comment.”

My heart sinks.

“But!” I start to protest.

“I believe that you are completely correct in your assumptions.”

… Huh?

The murmurs resume and increase in volume as the Mayor directs his attention to all those gathered.

“Eye witness reports have stated that the six, unaccounted for ponies we've been trying to locate were last seen heading towards Golden Oaks Library, shortly after the celebrations were forcefully concluded. Testimonials from their friends, coworkers, and families confirm that none of them returned to their dwellings at any point in the following days. We've not been able to gather any information about what happened beyond this… until now.

“I believe this may be the lead we need, everypony," Mustang declares boldly, raising his voice. "The words of the Prince's Squire should be enough for me to push the cabinet into action ... Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter, Barbara The Dragoness.”

Caught completely by surprise, I end up falling onto my back as the room soon explodes into a thunderous pony applause full of hooting, hollering, and stomping.

It… worked?

It worked?

...

... H… h-holy crap it worked!

“We will be hosting an emergency town meeting in two hours, everypony!” orders the Mayor in his loudest scream, in order to be heard over the mighty roars of approval. “This is just enough evidence to allow me to authorize a full scale sweep of the Everfree! Spread the word! Gather up as many able body ponies as you can find, and any guards willing to lend a hoof! Nightmare Nebula will not hurt or take another pony under my watch... NO PONY LEFT BEHIND!!”

“NO PONY LEFT BEHIND!!” parrots those still gathered, their cry equally as robust. “NOT IN PONYVILLE!!”

“NEVER IN PONYVILLE!!” finishes the Mayor as he slashes his foreleg down and grants everypony permission to leave.

The timely grab of my tail by Red Gala's teeth saves me from the sudden stampede of departing ponies, as they enthusiastically gallop up and out of this confined room into the chilly Ponyville night. I’m left dumbfounded by the sight, It’s only as the fact that I’m getting actual, real help slowly sinks in do I finally find the strength in me to do something I had not done at all in the last few days.

I smile happily.

“Red Gala?” I beam joyfully to the pony whose large hairy legs are preventing me from being crushed.

“Eeyup?” she asks me in our hold, eyebrow fully raised.

“Ponyville is awesome.”

“... Hehe.” she couldn’t agree more. “Eeyup.”

Two hours for Ponyville pass about as quickly as four days did for me... as in not quick at all. In this lllllooooonnnnggg (For me at least. Remember; technical seven year old here) span of time, a crowd even larger than the one from the Summer Sun Celebration now stands firm in front of Town Hall. Ponies from all walks of life are present here during this frigid night. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, townies, visitors, guardmares, and even the few guardsman have gathered in frozen unity in order to lend a helping hoof where they can. There are many faces I recognize from the library party, but many more are unknowns. Red Gala is among the many, as are her kin. From my place on center stage, right next to Mayor Mustang, I can see children lining up next to a stallion with a mixed pink mane. I doubt the foals are here for anything more than motivational support. From my vantage point I can spot Sweepy Belle on one end of the line, Scooteroll on the other, and Apple Buck is actually in the center of the crowd with the rest of his family. So close yet so far; you’ll meet soon, boys. I promise.

The whispers and excited energy of the herd grows quiet as the Mayor takes a step away from me, as well as the members of his cabinet, to approach the podium in the center of the stage. He waits until all is nice and still before beginning.

“... Fillies and Gentlecolts,” he starts, not unlike how he had kicked off the original gathering all those days ago. His icy breath bellows in the night's air; illuminated fully in many lantern's bright glow. “We are gathered here this night to take stock in what we have.

“We have our foals back safe and sound after several grueling days without their presence.

“We have enough emergency food rations for years, thanks to several of our town’s families having mastered the art of canning for situations as impossible as this.

“We have enough lights in this town to make Manehattan blush!"

This grants the Mayor a few chuckles from the crowd. He allows himself a small grin before turning serious again. “And we have the most important survival tool of all; we have each other. We have the light of Friendship.

“... We don’t want to dwell on what we don’t have; we shouldn’t dwell on what the monster in black armor has taken from us... But, unfortunately, we must address this fact now and we must address it with one heart and one mind. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Elusive, Butterscotch, Bubble Berry, and the Prince’s visiting pupil Dusk Shine have been missing since Nightterror Nebula’s arrival. We have not heard hide nor hair from any of them in the last four days. Five of our own, and the sixth who was brought into their fold…”

The Mayor then steps beside the podium and waves a hoof towards my direction.

“Thanks to the aid of Dusk’s assistant, we now have an idea as to where these six missing ponies have disappeared too.”

I look away as I blush. This is t-too much attention for my liking...

The whispers pick up yet again as this information is made known to all the gathered ponies. With a raised hoof, Mustang silences the crowd once again before he continues.

“... I, speaking as your Mayor, believe that they have entered the Everfree Forest.”

There are a number of gasps.

“I believe that they entered of their own free will, hoping to seek out the lost castle within.”

The gasps morph into confused questions.

“According to an overlooked book from our own library,” the Mayor explains, holding the book aloft. “Within this forgotten sanctum lies a weapon capable of ending The Nightterror’s reign.”

The gossiping turns excited.

“I believe these ponies went into the forest to seek this weapon...

“... And I believe that this was a foolishly youthful mistake.”

The murmurs cease all together. With hard eyes, filled with age and experience, the Mayor sweeps his oppressive gaze over the entirety of Ponyville disapprovingly.

“We… are gathered here to save our little ponies,” he declares loudly, further silencing the crowd. “We are not gathered here to run a fool’s errand. If not for the rumors already circulating, I would never have made this information known!”

I cringe at this, but ultimately I say nothing. It’s… for the best. The show has clearly failed to start properly. W-we’ll just have to find another way. Focus on the now; the future can wait.

“We will be organizing groups to enter the forest, in a coordinated fashion, to insure that we cover the most ground!” the Mayor explains, dropping the book and starting to point his now free hoof at those who have already volunteered to lead groups. “Each party will have one of each tribe present, as well as a trained guard who volunteered to step away from their duties to assist us. We will be rotating groups every two hours and relying on a buddy system to insure that we don’t accidentally add to our missing pony list.

“With that said, I must repeat the most important part of this excursion; I will not be tolerating heroes. Any pony present thinking of sneaking off to search for a means to fight The Nightterror will hear from me personally about how they are no longer welcomed in our community.”

The buzzing of the gathering becomes toxic as the unified opinion of how this is being handled turns sour. But Mustang wasn’t voted their leader for nothing, it seems, as his judging leer alone is enough to snuff the angry mob out before it can fully form.

“... I understand how you all feel,” he admits in a saddened tone. “Truly I do. Our sun has been taken away from us and I’m telling you not to fight back?

“Well… yes! That’s exactly what I’m asking from you. I ask this not as your Mayor, your duly elected representative, your leader, or any other title you’ve deemed fit to give me. No… I am asking this of you under only one title, and under one solitary banner. It’s the same banner we have waved since the founding of this town. It is the same banner we have proudly hoisted up since the founding of this nation.

“It is the banner of friendship, fillies and gentlecolts. I am asking this of you as your friend. Please, don’t do anything to hurt yourself this night. Please, don’t do anything to hurt this great community with your absence.

"Please have faith that we will make it through this night, and see the sunrise again! Have faith in Harmony that goodness and love will prevail, and that evil will falter! Have faith that what is just will be done! Have faith that we will bring justice down upon The Nightterror, and take heart that such plans are slowly being put into place with the help of our neighboring towns...

“... But the time is not yet right, and these plans are not ready yet this night. Tonight we are here to save our missing youth. We are here to save them for their friends and family, and nothing more."

The earth pony then tips his head low, bowing towards his concerned citizens.

“... Thank you, everypony, and may the Sun and the Moon bless us all.”

With that, and with a clip and a clop, Mayor Mustang steps away from the podium one last time and exits the stage altogether. He heads towards where the leader volunteers are currently stationed and ready to receive any additional help for the cause. It takes a moment for the stallion’s speech to really truly sink in, but soon large amounts of ponies gather together and form groups. Not everypony gathers, unfortunately; a small collection are now leaving in a huff. Perhaps they were here for the rumors about the Elements, and a way to fight Nebula? I understand their frustration, but as the failure of this world's mane six has proven; Nightterror Nebula isn't somepony to take lightly. A union greater then six ponies must be necessary... but I'll leave that part to the Mayor for now and take his advice in the mean time; let's focus on saving these boys. Thankfully, there's still a large number of ponies remaining willing to help with just that. For those still here, preparations to depart are now underway; saddles are being stuffed with supplies and makeshift weapons are being distributed into every hoof, wing, chompers, and magic aura willing to accept them.

Stealthily I leave the stage while everypony is preoccupied, using my minuscule stature to sink into the crowd and move through it without anypony being the wiser. Sneaking through, I navigate my way towards the Apple Family’s group and try to locate Red Gala. Let’s see… where are yo-

“BUT AH WANNA GO!!”

A high pitched scream jerks my head to the left and aids me in finding my big red friend. In front of her is a clearly upset Apple Buck, crying his little head off.

“Big bros in there!” he explains through his whimpers, as if it would magically allow him to go. “W-we can’t lose him, Red!”

“Eeyup,” Gala states crossly, glaring angrily at the younger pony.

“Ah have to save him!”

“Nnooooooppppeee!” the usually stoic pony shouts forcefully, causing her younger sibling to flinch back.

“B-b-but,” Apple Buck tries to justify himself one more time, only for his words to get caught in his throat. As a result, he sniffs out weakly, “Ah can’t lose you too...”

Softening her expression, Red Gala leans closer to the smaller pony and kisses him gently on the forehead.

“Nnope,” she smiles weakly to her brother, trying her best to reassure him. “And you never will.”

“Come along, dear,” adds in a rickety old voice. Apple Buck turns around and spots an elderly green stallion shuffling slowly up to the group. “Leave your sister to her work.”

“But-”

“Butters Buckington Apple!” Grandpa Smith warns gruffly, pointing an aged hoof at his face. “No butts from you, mister! Don’t make me double your chores for tomorrow!”

The threat seems to have merit, as Apple Buck recoils at the mere suggestion like he was just slapped. With ears wilting, the small sad pony gloomily follows his elder away from the gathering. He spares his sister one last glance before he departs. “Please come back, Big Sis.”

Before she could even reply, the crowd shifts and churns abruptly. This results in the early separation of the two siblings completely. Red Gala exhales depressingly to herself upon discovering that she's now well and truly alone.

I decide that this is probably the best time for me to enter the scene.

“Hey,” I wave, making myself known.

“... Howdy,” she replies, though it’s clear that her heart isn’t in it.

“Heading into the forest I see,” I comment, trying to change the subject.

“Eeyup,” she nods, still staring at the spot where Apple Buck had disappeared from.

“... You know that this line is for the first group to go in, right?”

“Eeyup.”

“It’s going to be dangerous.”

“Eeyup.”

“Lots of deadly creatures in there.”

“Eeyup.”

“Lots of deadly flora.”

“Eeyup.”

“The Nightterror might even show up.”

“Eeyup.”

“You might get hurt…”

“Eeyup.”

“Which is why I’m going with you.”

“Eey-” she starts to say, but a quick double-take kills the words right out of her mouth. She simply stares at me after that.

I stare right back.

“... Nnope,” Red Gala finally responds, shaking her head.

Well too bad, Red. I already made my decision long ago. Reaching out with my claws, I grip hard onto Gala’s long orange mane as it waves back and forth, and then I use that momentum to fling myself onto her back. I next wrap my arms and legs around her yoke and hold on for dear life.

“B-barb,” the farm pony grunts as she tries to shake me off. “Nnope nnope nnope!!”

“Red,” I try to squeak out as I’m given an experience not unlike a bull ride.

“Nnope!”

“Just l-listen.”

“Nnope!”

“Please.”

“Nnope!”

“Listen to me!”

“NNOP-”

FWOOSH!!

A burst of my emerald dragon fire, streaking across her vision, at long last grants me the results I’m looking for. It finally shuts up the most aggressively untalkative pony I’ve ever met.

“Now listen and listen good,” I roar, not playing nice anymore. Hot green smoke leaks past my lips as I tell her whats what. “I am going into that forest tonight, understand? I am a walking, talking, flamethrower for Solaris sake! You need me, Red.”

Clearly upset, Red Gala tries argue further but I cut her off yet again.

“You need me so that I can help you bring your family home!” I point out, going for the metaphorical jugular. “You’re going to let me come and watch your back, so that you don’t disappoint Apple Buck by not coming back at all!”

Red Gala’s struggles against me ends with this line.

“I know you well enough by now, Red,” I growl, yanking one of her ears so as to turn her head. “I can see it in your eyes; you don’t give a flying feather about the Mayor’s restrictions! You’re probably going to stay in that forest as long as you can, until you find your little brother.”

My friend is unable to deny these claims, so instead she remains silent.

“... Which is why you’re going to let me come with you,” I finish as I let go of her ear. “Because I want to save my friends and family just as badly as you. And, yes; by friends I mean you too, hay for brains. Capisce?”

Though my overall grip starts slacking, I do not find myself being suddenly thrust off my unwilling steed’s back. She contemplates my words with her head down, mulling them over and clearly struggling…

... until with one last sigh she relents.

“Fine,” is her answer. “But you’re not to leave my back, ya hear?!”

“Understood,” I confirm with a nod of my head.

“GROUP ONE WILL BE DEPARTING SOON!” comes a beige colored pony's voice from the front of our pack. “FINISH UP YOUR PREPARATIONS AND BEGIN TO LINE UP! GRAB YOUR PARTNERS, EVERYPONY!”

Us two ladies turn our heads to face one another upon hearing this. With a unified nod, we confirm that we’re both ready as can be. Red Gala shuffles off, with me displayed proudly on her back, towards where we’re supposed to gather. A few ponies give us odd looks as we pass, most likely due to my presence, but nopony tries to stop us or tell me that I couldn’t go so I ignore them all. My eyes are set on the road ahead, the one that leads to the Everfree’s entrance, and nothing more.

“GROUP ONE DEPARTS IN THREE MINUTES!!” orders the lead earth pony for our gathering one last time, turning to face forward. He brings a whistle to his lips.

“Let’s get my brother back, little buddy,” proclaims my usually quiet friend. Her words are meant to convey a sense of importance, a sense of urgency… but I know they are meant just as much as a source of encouragement for herself as they did for me.

I offer a small grunt of acknowledgment, and an equally tiny declaration of “Yeah,” in response. My words are filled with the same sense of finality as Red Gala’s own.

The two of us are of one mind in this instance.

“And let’s get my Dusk back, Red,” I command, the fire evident in my eyes and in my voice.

Hell or high water, we're both going to get our families back this night.

With a snort of amusement over the situation she finds herself in, and probably over how serious my tone sounds despite my young voice; Red Gala rears up and shouts towards the heavens, for all the ponies gathered, a resounding war-cry of

“EEYUP!!”

With that, alongside other brave townsfolk and a loud shrill whistle blow, the two of us charge towards the Everfree Forest, heedless of our own safety. The sun rises in the east as we do, blessing our noble quest with its glow. Our stampede can be heard throughout the entire town, vibrating windows and kicking up dirt in our wake. We are like a unified army, galloping into the light. As we pass the marketpla-

...

… Wait

Rewind that.

What… what did I just say a second ago??

Our frontal momentum stops all together as other ponies start to notice this oddity as well. We all turn our heads skywards in unison…

… towards the rising sun.

My jaw hits the floor alongside countless others. Many of us rub our eyes, many others smack or ask for their partners to pinch them... but it's true. It's all true.

Dawn has risen, and the morning is approaching.

... All eyes next turn towards the Mayor.

His poker face is almost as good as Gala’s.

“... Raindasher!” he calls out a moment later to the nearest pegasus pony he can spot. “Give me a status report of the forest!”

“R-right,” cries out the light blue stallion with the white mane in response. With a flap of his wings the pony disappears from sight as he flies over the many buildings of Ponyville. A few minutes pass before he returns in an excited frenzy.

“I can see a magic beacon being cast out from the forest!” he happily reports, raising the spirits of everyone present. “It's in the shape of the Prince's cutie mark!”

The eyes of the guard ponies left in the crowd grow into the size of saucers at this. Before anything more can be said, each one mobilizes into action by galloping back to their stations for further instructions. For the pegasus guards, this means taking to the air and heading towards this beacon as fast as they could alongside deploying Wonderbolts. The stragglers can be seen carrying a number of empty golden chariots with them, just in case.

As more and more soldiers forcefully push their way through the crowds, and as the sun's rays wash us clean from on high, whispers can't help but be spread as theory after theory is thrown out…

… but this only lasts for the span of a moment; long enough for Raindasher's next report.

It is short, but oh so sweet.

"I can see eight ponies!" he shares in glee, letting us all know the fruits of the guard's extraction efforts. "They all look fine!"

And with that the crowd's whispers are swiftly replaced with bombastic cheers instead. Nopony wonders about this eighth pony, because nopony cares.

All we care about is the other seven.

“Well… Change of plans, everypony,” enthusiastically calls out the Mayor, the relief clear in his being. His grin shines brighter then the sun itself. “Let’s get this town ready for the return of Prince Solaris and our friends!!”

“YYYYEEEEAAAAHHH!!!” roars a slender, white coated pegasus mare at the top of her lungs. Many more voices join her shortly thereafter... with Red Gala’s and my own being the loudest of all.

... Pretty sure nopony noticed us also bawling our eyes out and hugging each other too…

… or at least I hope nopony did.

Faster than what I could ever hope to process, streamers and confetti fill my vision as the entire town transforms itself into the same beacon of joy and laughter I had originally found it to be. Music blares as ponies bask in the returned sun’s light, and as children run through the streets unaccompanied for the first time in days. I am soon among their numbers as I depart from Red Gala's side and dash between pony legs aplenty. I push myself hastily through the crowds, to the center of where they’re gathering, in the hopes of catching the sight of the descending golden chariots. My heart leaps out of my chest as I hear a familiar peppy voice cry out cheerfully, “A party!” and the result is the instinctual doubling of my efforts. I trip and fall on several occasions, but I get back up each time with renewed haste. Finally, after a wait that was realistically only a couple of minutes but felt to me like an eternity, I aggressively breach the forest of legs, rubber band my head all around…

… and triumphantly lock green eyes with purple.

My tears burn hot as I dash forward and wrap my arms around the owner's body the best I can.

With tears of his own, a tired Dusk Shine returns the embrace just as lovingly.

.

“Let’s get my sister back, little buddy,” proclaimed the usually quiet stallion. His words were meant to convey a sense of importance, a sense of urgency… but they were meant just as much as a source of encouragement for himself as they did for his rider.

The being who sat upon his back offered a small grunt of acknowledgment, and an equally tiny declaration of “Yeah,” in response. Though not even a third of the size of his steed, the drake’s words were filled with the same sense of finality as Big Macintosh's own.

The two were of one mind in this instance.

“And let’s get my Twilight back, Mac,” commanded Spike, the fire evident in his eyes and in his voice.

Hell or high water, they were both getting their families back this night.

With a snort of amusement over the situation he had found himself in, and for the young boy’s serious tone; Big Mac rears up and shouts towards the heavens, for all the ponies gathered, a resounding war-cry of

“EEYUP!!”

With that, alongside other brave townsfolk and a loud shrill whistle blow, both the dragon and the stallion charged towards the Everfree Forest, heedless of their own safety.

… And then the sun rose high into the morning sky.

Entry 2, End (... that you're all...)

My apologies for this slight interruption in my retelling, but a thought now occurs to me. Since I was unable to do this previously, due to the circumstances surrounding Entry One’s original creation, please allow me to start this chapter properly.

It’s just not a diary without these classic two words.

~Dear Diary~

Boy that’s satisfying to write.

This will technically be Entry Two in the grand scheme of things, though it will be written first canonically. Entry One will be written second and inserted into this book in it’s correct order afterwards because it was stupidly written in another dimension and needs to be rewritten as a result it’s complicated. While I’m moving things around, I believe I'm going to take the time and rewrite the chapters I wrote in Equestrian previously too. I’ll translate them into English, and then reattach them to the book in their proper order; that way The Poisoned Barb will be one solid language through and through. I feel that the more consistent I am in this, the easier this book/diary will be to read for those who take the time to translate it. It will also give snoopers and others unable to read this, like Dusk, less chances to figure out that I’m the author. My claw writing is very easy to spot when I’m recording things in Equestrian, you see, but not so much in English. Every layer of deceit helps, I feel.

But I also feel that you, dear reader, are not interested in the logistics that goes into producing this book. With this little intermission now concluded, allow me to continue where we left off. The sun had just risen, and the boys had returned victoriously. It was a joyous occasion for sure. Despite the excitement in the air, and the overwhelming sense of relief flooding every inch of my body, I treated my reunion with Dusk Shine like the mature adult I occasionally remember I am.

I assure you that I was the spitting image of a respectable lady of class.

“DON’T DO THAT AGAAAAAIIIIINNN!!” I blubber loudly over the party music as I use Dusk’s chest as a giant tissue. “I-I-I was so s-s-scared that you were, w-were, D-d-d-deeeaaaddd!!”

Dusk winces at my waterworks, and at the mucus hanging from my nose, but he impresses me greatly by not backing away and instead hugging me tighter. “It’s okay Barb,” he coos gently to me, patting the back of my head reassuringly. “Really. I’m fine. We’re all fine.”

He then uses his hoof to gently direct my eyes towards his (I’m so happy I can now properly call them this) friends.

“Right, guys?” Dusk asks the boys, his smile large and cheerful.

“Right,” Butterscotch softly nods his head, as numerous critters run up and down his large frame. A small white rabbit can be seen crying into his beard.

“D-darn tootin’,” Applejack tries to comment, though he’s finding it hard to do so while Red Gala is sobbing loudly in a one sided embrace.

“Indubitably,” Elusive answers proudly unabated, save for Sweepy Belle quietly leaning against his hindquarters in a touching display.

“You know it!” Rainbow Dash hoots as he performs several victory loop dee loops in midair. I spot Scooteroll gazing intently from the shadows, mouth agape. His eyes are full of stars.

Bubble Berry bounces up in down in place, beaming the largest grin ever for all to see.

“I almost died of blood loss!” he reports happily, with the same enthusiasm one would use to say they had won the lottery. “Twice!”

Rainbow Dash slaps him upside the head for this, glaring angrily.

“I-I mean yup yup yup!” BB quickly corrects, excitement never waning. “We're all okily dokily!”

Dash nods his head in approval.

I stare open mouthed at first…

… only to swiftly come to the realization that it doesn't matter. They’re all here. They’re all okay!

That’s good enough for little, old, unfaithful me.

Dusk is forced to resort to his magic in order to pry myself off of him, as my grip was too great for just his hooves. He removes me just in time for the two of us to spot a second royal chariot now descending from the sky. Upon it is the sight of a familiar alicorn… and a not so familiar one too.

Next to Prince Solaris stands a much smaller pony than the one who had scared the crap out of me days ago. Nightterror Nebula’s true form, that of Solaris’ little brother Prince Artemis, lacks most of the features I’ve come to expect from alicorns. Though he bears both horn and wings, his solid blue mane lacks the same energy his brother’s autumn red one exudes constantly. His stature is also not unlike a common pony’s, and in fact I’d say that he’s about the same size as Elusive. To top everything off, he doesn’t even have a beard! His light blue chin is as bare as Dusk’s, and overall it makes him look much younger than he actually is. His body language also reminds me of a shy child’s; one who was just caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. He sticks close to his brother as the two depart the chariot and approach the gathering. As everypony, including Dusk, his friends, and I dip our heads low to bow towards our royalty, Prince Artemis blushes in embarrassment and quietly tries to disappear behind Solaris’ outstretched wings.

Normally I would say this is cute, but I’m still just a teeny tiny bit peeved that I almost died of hunger and or dehydration from sleeping for three days, so it’s overall effect is diminished on me.

… Or maybe I would have been okay, since dragons can apparently sleep for hundreds of years…

… Either way, I think I’m within my right to be angry at him.

Despite this ire, I still find myself a little happy when I watch a pair of pegasus colts fly by him and place a wreath of flowers around his head in a show of forgiveness. I think most of the ponies here can tell that this ‘mysterious’ new alicorn is the same one that tormented us not too long ago, but as this world’s history has taught me time and time again; ponies are a quickly forgiving bunch. You can call it naive if you want, because I can't say that it isn't.

But I'll, meanwhile, will call it admirable instead… at least a little bit.

This peace offering perks up the saddened stallion’s mood quite a bit, but Solaris and I soon spot another pony’s mood dropping for a completely unrelated reason. Turning away from his returned kin, though still keeping him very close, Prince Solaris addresses this pony with a tone full of an equal amount of concern and warmth.

“Why so glum, my faithful student?” he asks Dusk, who raises his head to meet his mentor’s gaze. Solaris turns his head as well, so that his left eye is now facing him and so that his disarming smile can be more prominent. “Are you not overjoyed that your quest is complete, and that you can return to your studies in Canterlot?”

This fails to raise Dusk’s spirits, as he quickly looks away in shame.

“That’s just it,” he explains for the prince, his words laced with a deep inner sadness. “Just when I discovered how wonderful it is to have friends, I-I have to say goodbye to them...”

And damn it all; upon hearing those beautiful words I can’t help myself any longer.

My eyes begin to mist over.

Even as my vision blurs, and even as my heart does cartwheels of jubilation in my chest; nothing on this planet is going to prevent me from missing my next cue. Five lovely words; I’ve been waiting many long and painful years, just for the chance to hear five heavenly words. Despite everything that has happened; despite my failures and mistakes and all of my many missteps, all I need to do now is glance at Solaris in order to tell whether or not we’re on the same wavelength.

With a grin aimed towards me, I can totally tell that we are.

“Barbara,” Prince Solaris declares loudly, granting me the opportunity to smile brightly now too. “Take a note, please.”

With pleasure, my ‘liege’. Hehe.

From my purse I procure a ready quill, and a blank piece of parchment. With a nod of my head, I confirm that I am as ready as I’ll ever be to record these next set of orders.

“I,” he begins, being as formal as ever in order to make this as showy as possible. Theatrics aside, my quill dances across the page all the same. “Prince Solaris, hereby decree that the unicorn, Dusk Shine, shall take on a new mission for Equestria.

“He must continue to study the Magic of Friendship.

“He must report to me his findings from his new home… in Ponyville.”

And there is much celebration. Surrounded on all sides by friends, both old and new, Dusk can't help but cry. “T-thank you, Prince Solaris!” he vibrates in elation, fighting the tears now in his eyes. “I’ll study harder than ever before!”

And I don’t doubt that one bit.

As the group bunches up together, burying Dusk in what I'm betting is the manliest pony pile that has ever existed, I roll up my scroll and turn my sight towards Solaris... only to blink in surprise when I see that he’s actually gone. Walking about in a circle, snapping my eyes all around, I quickly spot him and his brother trying to leave towards their chariot. Taking one last look back towards Dusk I confirm that he’s still busy, so I use this opportunity to begin sneaking my way over to the two Princes' side.

By the time I reach them, Artemis is already seating himself down on the cart’s interior. Before Solaris can join in, I call out to him. “Sir?”

Blinking, it takes a moment for the ruler of the sun to notice that I'm trying to speak with him. He swivels his head back and forth for a bit as a result, before thinking to look down. “... Barbara?” Solaris ponders aloud upon spotting me with one of his eyes. "Wha-"

“Prince Solaris!” rudely interrupts Mayor Mustang, who emerges from the crowd of celebrating ponies next to us in a rush. His louder voice captures Solaris' attention quickly, and drags it away from me with ease. “Your majesty! Please wait! I need answers for my citizens concerning what just happened!”

"..."

From my spot, I watch as the Prince’s focus rapidly shifts from me, to the Mayor…

… until lastly settling on a single chest lying in wait on the back of his royal chariot. Tilting my head to the side, I can see that the lid of this mentioned chest is slightly ajar. Now slightly curious over its importance, I lean forward to try to catch a quick peak. From where I stand I can just barely make out... what looks like a collection of colorful gemstones! Those must be the Elements of Harmony!

… But it doesn’t look like they’re attached to golden necklaces and a tiara, as was the case in the show. I can still see the yellowish metal, but it's clearly now been warped into a much different design. It almost looks like…

A guardmare places a hoof on the lid and closes the crate fully, preventing me and others from seeing anything more. Well… darn. Better luck next time, I guess. Solaris breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing this, before returning his focus towards the Mayor.

“I’m terribly sorry, Mayor Mustang,” he apologizes, bowing his head down lowly. “But I do not have much time to dwell here. I must return to Canterlot and inform everypony of what has transpired here, post haste.”

“But!” The Mayor tries to argue, pushing himself up closer to the Prince. "I can't just tell everypony nothing!"

This action... actually makes Solaris seem uncomfortable, strangely enough. His ears even wilt briefly as he takes a step back from the much smaller stallion vying for his aid.

“I-I will be sure to send you a letter as soon as I can, detailing everything there is to know,” Solaris surprisingly stutters as he tries to reassure the earth pony. To my further shock, he proceeds to gesture a hoof in my general direction. With eyes still locked with the Mayor, he explains, “Once the letter is complete, I will have it sent via our dear friend Barbara here. With the use of magical seals, she is able to send and receive messages almost instantaneously!” Hey! Don't advertise that without my permission, jerk!

Now having been made the target of the Mayor's scrutiny, a mischievous look enters the pony's eyes as he slowly turns to acknowledge me.

“Reeeeeaaaally?” Mustang inquires evilly, rubbing his chin as he wickedly grins. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it looks like shadows are now engulfing his face and sucking all of his features away; only his single monocle is now visible for me. “Think of how... helpful that would be in my line of work…”

~Gulp~

Thankfully, Solaris saves me just in the nick of time (from his own mess, I might add) by quickly scooping me up onto his back with the use of his wings.

“I-I’m afraid it is limited to just her family and myself though, my good sir!” he explains, discouraging any tomfoolery that was about to transpire. He nervously laughs. “Perhaps she can make an exception for you if you ask her nicely? What says you, Barbara?”

Ignoring the Prince for a moment; from my new perch atop his back I contemplate the pony's suggestion by scratching my own chin. I really don’t want to be turned into a mail-dragon full time, obviously, and as they say; if you give an inch…

... But if he can provide the hard-to-craft and expensive magic seals himself…

“... I can do it a few times for you if you’d like, Mister Mayor,” I explain. I guess I do owe him quite a bit for the attempted rescue. I grant the old stallion a small smile on top of this. “It’s the least I can do for you for listening to me earlier, and for trying to save my friends.”

Though he’s clearly disappointed at not having been granted around-the-clock access to Equestria's version of emails, the Mayor still gives me a large grin all the same for my generous offer.

“Think nothing of it, dear,” he replies, waving a hoof dismissively. “It's what Ponyville does for it's own, which I'm now happy to say includes both you and Dusk Shine! I do hope we can feel like home for you two soon... Reach out to me for anything. I insist.” The kind old stallion then turns to bow lowly to the Prince, offers a few thanks for his time, and then disappears into the crowd.

This leaves me with the two Princes; both the talkative and the not so talkative one.

“... I’ll be right back, Artemis,” Solaris whispers kindly to his brother. “I have one last task to complete before we can depart.”

At this, Prince Artemis wobbles slightly in his seat; his fearful eyes wandering to the massive amounts of ponies partying all around him. After a moment of false starts and jitters, he shrinks even further into his chair and finally mutters out the first words I’ve heard from him since his arrival.

“If thou sayest so… We beseech thee, though; please return w-with great speed, dear elder brother.”

... Woooowww.

Now that's a one hundred and eighty degree personality flip if I've ever seen one!

What the hay happened to that Warlord persona from earlier? He sounds like Gleaming Shield when she's trying to role-play in Ogres & Oubliettes (Equestrian D&D. She plays a paladin, naturally... I play a wizard)! N-not that I'm complaining at all, mind you, but still... What the hay was Nightterror Nebula in the first place? A possession? A split personality? I better ask either Dusk or Solaris about this later; they should be able to explain this to me. I'm honestly curious.

With a sad sigh, Solaris uses a wing to gently hug his scared sibling. They hold their position for a short time before the elder brother separates from the embrace and starts trotting off into a nearby field…

… with me still planted firmly on his back.

My first thoughts are that he's forgotten I'm still here with him, but this is swiftly proven false as he next lowers himself to the ground, in order to allow me to easily depart. Now alone with him, far far away from the rest of the town, I stare up at Prince Solaris as he rises back to his full height before me. That's strange; he usually uses his magic for such minor things as moving me around... Weird.

“Phew,” the Prince breathes loudly, now turning to properly address me. “W-well, little one, I think it’s safe to say that this has been the most interesting Summer Sun Celebration I've ever experienced! Wouldn’t you agree? Haha...”

I continue to stare.

“... Thankfully my little ponies were just fine on their own, it seems!” He goes on, ignoring my silence. “T-true the sun’s absence most likely caused a few hiccups, but I’ll be sure to address them all it short order! Haha…”

Still I stare.

He's acting... odd.

… Well odder than usual, at least. He’s a manipulator by nature, I know from experience, and a natural jokester. But… it feels like he's being a lot more forceful than usual with his words, and he’s sweating...

“Is… Is everything okay, Sir?” I ask him honestly, now worried.

Unflinching, and with another laugh, Solaris brushes my concerns aside with a waving of his foreleg. “Oh Artemis will be fine, Barbara.” He explains without a care, turning to keep an eye on the mentioned pony in the distance. “He just slips into the Royal We when he’s nervous. I’ll be perfectly frank; it’ll take a long time for him to heal completely… but at least now he has the opportunity to heal at all! Haha!”

Again he laughs in a joyful manner.

I’m not buying it for a second.

“No, my Prince,” I repeat, causing the stallion to halt his chortling. “I meant... are you okay? You're acting strange...”

“...”

“...”

… Solaris refuses to look at me, and instead continues to stare at the distant chariot.

“... Didn’t you have a question you wanted to ask me, Barbara?” he inquires, tilting his head to his left slightly and towards me. I’m still only seeing the back of his head. “Before the Mayor arrived? Y-you should ask that now before I must depar-”

“I was just going to ask for a ride so I can pick up mine and Dusk's things from Canterlot,” I cut him off to explain. I then take a single step forward. “But Solaris, please; why aren't you talking to me? Aren’t we... friends?”

This causes him to wince.

I wince as well. Maybe I’m overstepping my bounds here. “I-I’m sorry.” I speedily apologize. “I’ll just take the train inste-”

“I’m worried.”

Solaris’ words silence my own.

After a momentary pause, he finally turns to face me. A frown now adorns his muzzle.

“I’m worried,” he parrots himself. “And… s-scared, Barbara.

"I’m scared for the future.”

A shiver runs up my spine.

“W… w-what?” I ask him, completely startled. “But… you’re a Seer!” I try to point out, hoping that this is just another one of his sick jokes. “The future is the last thing you should be worried about! Ever!”

“... True... Yet… I am,” the Prince admits, looking down in shame. “This night, Barba-, no… Barb. Barb my friend... This night, Barb, was too close. The two of us, you and I… we both foresaw this night coming in our Visions.

“Together we both knew the major players involved.

“Together we both knew the overall outcome of their adventure…

“... But we both almost lost so much regardless!”

I’m taken aback by the shout, and by the anguish in his voice. W-what is he talking about? Dusk won in the end... right? He completed the prophecy! Everything went down almost exactly like the show! He's Equestria's hero now! I-I don’t have anything to fear…

… Right?

“Y-you still shouldn’t be scared, Solaris,” I pathetically try to convince him, as well as myself. My words ring hollow, as I lack confidence in them, but darn it all I'm not at least trying. “Dusk and his friends found those Element things, right? We’ve got nothing to worry about!”

I try to laugh for the Prince, in order to get him to join in.

But it fails, and he remains quiet.

“... I… wish I could believe that, little one,” he speaks bitterly after a time, my attempts having failed. “But there was so much about this event that my Vision failed to warn me about… It was the same for you as well, correct?” He asks me, now setting me on guard. “I feel that I am not being too bold to assume as much...”

My knee-jerk reaction is to look away, and to clam up. It doesn't take me long to realize how foolish I'm being, however, so I just as quickly turn right back around. “No... Your assumption is correct,” I answer truthfully; no point in lying about it now. “I-I saw the future Element bearers heading through the forest without issue... I did not see The Nightterror zapping the foals and I into the Dream Realm, and I also didn't see the journey taking four days in total.”

“So our visions are failing us,” Solaris concludes from my admittance, grumbling angrily to himself. “Perhaps a dark force is to blame, or the machinations of a wayward spell... I worry for what this could mean for what's to come.”

A feeling of anxiety starts to creep up within me. I’m now worried too. Very worried. If my show knowledge isn’t going to be one hundred percent accurate anymore, and if even Solaris’ future sight can’t predict everything... how are we going to proceed? What should I be doing? How will we know we’ll be safe?

How will I know that Dusk will be safe??

…

…

... Suddenly, the answer becomes crystal clear in my mind.

It's not perfect... but it's the best we can do.

“We just have to have faith, Sir.”

Solaris’ inner reflection halts due to my words, and soon he returns his gaze towards me.

“We just have to have faith," I repeat, solidifying the idea into my soul. "I-I didn’t have faith in Dusk today,” I reveal, the guilt evident in my voice. “I was so wrapped up in my fears, and so wrapped up in what I thought I knew... that I forgot what I already did. Regardless of what we ‘saw’, Solaris, and regardless of what actions we deemed were for the best; tonight was really not our story to tell. It was Dusk’s, and we should have known for the get go that he was up to the task.

"All we needed… was a little faith.”

“...”

“...”

“... Heh,” Solaris laughs quietly, his mood visibly improving. He then grants me a tiny, honest smile. “You never fail to impress me, Barbara The Dragoness. I dare say you and Dusk were cut from the same, wondrous cloth.”

My own smile grows a tiny bit thanks to this. I politely bow my head slightly in appreciation. “Thank you, Solaris.”

He waves a hoof at my display. “Now there’s no need for that, dear. I should be thanking you! I greatly appreciate that you are now more willing to speak to me as an equal these days. Though I clearly do not deserve such kindness, I still highly enjoy our talks…” His smile unfortunately turns back into a frown before my eyes. For the second time, he turns away in shame. “... But I should not be this forward with matters concerning the future, especially with one as young as yourself. It should be the burden of the adult, not the child, to prepare for what's to come.”

“No worries,” I shoot right back without a thought, waving off his concerns with a claw. In an attempt to save that dying light of hope, I fire a more hopeful looking grin at Solaris and declare that, “Us Seers have to stick together, right?”

To my great surprise... my small attempt at levity actually works. The Prince loudly laughs in response; not in great guffaws, but at least in tiny snickers.

“Hehe... I thank you again, Barb" the Prince answers, now appearing more like his usual cheerful self. "Thank you for lending me your ear today.”

“Anytime,” I reply to the alicorn. Though under the surface he’s still clearly worried, and obviously I am too to a similar degree... I think this is as fine of a place as any to leave this subject for now. Things aren't all doom and gloom, after all. There's still plenty to be happy about right now; like Dusk's new friendships and Solaris'...

Suddenly, a thought occurs.

“... But you don’t have to confide just in me anymore, Solaris," I helpfully start to point out, smiling brighter. "Remember… you have Prince Artemis by your side again now too! I bet he’s eager to reconnect with his big brother after all these years!”

For the second time, I receive a response I was not expecting. I was thinking that Solaris was going to respond to this in good mirth, and that such a response would in turn ease my own worries as well. Instead…

“That… may still take quite awhile, little one.”

Instead I think I only made him even more depressed.

Me and my big mouth...

“The void between us is still vast,” the ancient stallion explains for me. He then turns his head away, simply to check that Artemis was still waiting patiently for him. “And much effort will be necessary, from both of us, in order to return to what we once were…”

“But... he’s back now,” I try to point out once more, in a vain attempt to raise his spirits again. “Surely that has to count for something!”

“... Barb…” the Prince responds, turning again to address me. His words sound weak and defeated. “It saddens me greatly to admit this, but the actions from both of us this night have only resulted in the continual expansion of this mighty gap; not it's shrinkage. And... t-there are things that, once lost, can never be truly returned again...” In correlation to his words, the Prince sheds a single tear from his left eye.

I can’t help but stare at the overly dramatic display…

... And I can't help bbut stare even more as the ground beneath the pony is assaulted by not one, but two separate teardrops. Huh? Where the heck did that come from??

What happens next… confuses me even further.

Firstly, Solaris notices my staring and gasps as a result; becoming self-conscious of his crying. Secondly, he locates the tears still on his face and proceeds to wipe… both his eyes with a single foreleg. Lastly his right eye…

...well…

... I guess the best way for me to describe it is that the mere contact caused it to... wobble… like gelatin…

…

What the actual hell.

“Ahem,” the Prince breathes with a blush, trying to ignore my shocked reactions by speaking with himself. “I-I suppose this will not be a long term solution. Good to know.”

I’m… still incredibly confused. Sensing my confusion, Solaris nervously rubs his beard for a moment in deep contemplation. A solid minute passes before his attention returns to me.

“Barb,” he starts to say, trying to pick his words carefully. “There is… a reason why I’m thinking these thoughts and feeling this fear. I had intended to keep this a secret from my little ponies as long as I could, because it is quite personal… but I now feel that you have earned the right, as my friend, to know the truth.

“You should know why it is I’m afraid for the future.”

Unsure how to respond, I watch in silence as an intense magical aura bursts into life around the alicorn’s entire horn. This yellowish aura soon appears over the Prince’s right eye as well, and it proceeds to cause the surface of the face to ripple like it was made out of water. The pony then lowers himself to his knees in order to better show me that the area in which the eye... I guess we can describe it as ‘flows’... is beginning to shrink…

… and underneath the fading glamour I can now see the color red, standing in clear contrast to the Prince's all white coat.

It's red like a fresh scar.

It's red like dried blood.

A horrific sense of deja vu envelops my mind, and proceeds to drag me backwards to four days ago.

… In it’s defensive garb it gives off the appearance of a lion’s tail, one that swishes back and forth uninhibited by the plating. At its tip lies a blackened bundle of fur which completes the lion comparison, but it’s also here in my visual strip-down where my heart just about leaps out of my throat.

Attached to the tail’s tip is a one sided warblade.

On the tip of the blade drips fresh blood.

“No,” I can’t help myself but gasp, even as my claws cover my mouth.

Prince Solaris smiles in a sad, poignant manner, before allowing the illusion to once again settle over his new… deformity.

“It takes a lot out of me, just keeping this spell going,” he explains for me with words sounding as tired as he appears. “And, as I’ve just demonstrated, it’s unable to hide wayward tears. It’s certainly sufficient enough for a quick fix, but it leaves me hoping that nopony notices my sudden lack of advance spellcasting. Even the rescue flare from earlier was pushing my new limit a bit, h-hehe.

"... Please do keep this from Dusk, Barb. I promise I will tell him the truth in time, but I'd rather he not be distracted from his new companions right now."

I'm left completely and utterly speechless; both in voice and in thought.

“... Though I wish this conversation could have been had under different circumstances, I am content that you now know the risks of being a Seer, dear little Barb.” Solaris speaks truthfully, once again rising fully. “While the beginning and the end of the story may be crystal clear in our Sights, the middle act will most certainly be filled with much unknowable strife... So do be cautious, please,” he tries to finish lightheartedly; going so far as to chuckle and pretend that everything is still fine.

It doesn't work.

With claws still planted tightly over my quivering lips, I find myself now crying uncontrollably. “T-that's… that's…” Sniff~

With a reassuring pat on my head from his armored hoof, the Prince tries once more to comfort me. “There there, child. Do not weep. I am quite certain that I will be the only one-eyed monstrosity in the foreseeable future. Mine is just a cautionary tale; nothing more.”

“I'm not crying for me,” I choke out at last, as I try to wipe my eyes. “T-these are for you… and your brother."

Now it's Solaris' turn to be silent.

"That poor pony is full of too much grief already," I go on. I feel the internal anger I once held for Artemis now vanishing little by little. "I can see it. I may not know what the full story is about him yet, but... I can at least see that he's not the same pony who hurt me earlier. N-not completely, at least... And I don't think he's the same one who hurt you either, Solaris... Please don't let this ruin his second chance," I sniffle as the last of my tears dry.

Another moment of silence soon follows. All that can be heard between us, as we stand and think, is the sound of the distant party still raging in Ponyville none the wiser.

"..."

"..."

"... Hahaha..."

Catching me completely off guard, the Prince abruptly gains a completely jovial grin as he proceeds to playfully noogie the fins atop my head. “H-hey!” I whine, trying to bat the hoof away with my claws.

But Solaris only beams larger in response.

“Equestria is most fortunate that this strange power was granted to one with a heart such as yours, Barb,” he laughs bombastically. After having his full of teasing me (at least for now), Solaris eventually eases up on me. “Trust in it, little one, and it will be your guiding key.”

“What the hay does that mean?” I fume as I work on fixing my look. Rude.

“It means you have my blessing to continue what you’re doing,” the royal pony reports proudly as he turns to face the chariot one last time. He slowly starts to trot off. “It’s obviously working… Oh!" He then shouts, stopping in place and turning to focus his one good eye on me. "Before I forget; in regards to your original ride request, Barb, I'm afraid my chariots will be much too full of guards to accommodate another at this time." Resuming his trot yet again, he calls out his final plans for me as he departs. "I will be sure to send for another chariot to come grab you as soon as possible. I will also have a guard assigned to assist you in the task. I already have one pony in min-”

“Wait!” I interrupt; calling out to him before he can leave fully. “M-may I have an audience with you when I return, Prince Solaris?”

Halting his retreat yet again, Solaris turns to me for our final conversation.

“Well… certainly, dear… but whatever for?” he inquires, now granting him time at being the confused one for once. Better him then me. “True there are many things about Dusk’s new arrangements I’d like to go over, but they can be easily covered in a single scroll… What would you like to discuss?”

Pausing, I think my next words over with the utmost care I can muster. In the past I would have avoided Solaris like the plague, fearing that he may uncover the truth about me. Upon becoming a ‘Seer’ in his eyes, I wanted to see him even less. I didn’t want to really share with him what I knew, under fear of changing the timeline…

… after what’s happened though, and what Solaris has lost… I don’t think I have the right to keep my knowledge to myself anymore.

Faith is a welcomed guest... but plans will always get top billing in my book.

“I’d like us to prepare early for the next storm, Prince Solaris,” I state plainly and without jest, making sure that he understands that my next words are dead serious.

“We have to be ready… for the Lord of Chaos’ return.”

Entry 3, Part 1 (... my very best...)

Author's Notes:

Hi! Quick interruption, but starting from this point forward the story will, like the first book, be taking place through a combination of what Present Barbara is seeing and what Future Barbara is writing about in her journal/diary. To keep things straight, I will be using this page break:
◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠
... To indicate when we are either entering or leaving her book. The old simple page break style will be used when we're transitioning from one 1st person scene to another, or for flashbacks. This will be more evident next chapter. Those who just marathoned the story will have probably noticed this distinction in previous chapters already, due to me retroactively adding them. Feel free to ignore this message if that's the case.

Thanks go to Earth for helping me pick out the right design to go with.

Again, sorry for the interruption! Please enjoy ^_^

~Dear Diary~

A few days have passed since I last wrote in you. Quite a bit has happened in that time. Conferences were had, plans were made, books were re-shelved, ponies were met, and plenty of well deserved ‘sorry I made you worry, Barb,’ gems were eaten. Dusk and I have moved fully into Ponyville's Golden Oaks Library at this point. I still stand by my earlier declaration that it isn’t much of a home, but I’m sure it’ll grow on me.

It’s currently night time in Ponyville, so I once again have the opportunity to write down my thoughts while my roommate, Dusk, is asleep. Midnight in this town is so serene and quiet; it’s nothing like Canterlot. I’m certainly going to have a hard time staying awake, even with a trusty cup of steaming coffee by my side. I'll try my best to press on, however, because I feel it’s important to now note how the results of my meeting with Prince Solaris has undeniably changed this world. Recording these events is the responsible thing to do, and will make things easier to place blame understand what went exactly wrong later when things inevitably potentially go south.

So then, with that said written, let’s pick up where we last left the previous entry off at. As I recall, I had just shared with the Prince my knowledge of the next major villain coming up; Discord. Without a single word more shared between the two of us, the secretly one-eyed stallion acknowledged me by determinedly nodding his head and swiftly departing for Canterlot. The act was all I needed to see to confirm that he knew exactly what I was referring to.

It would take a full day before I was granted the opportunity to speak to him about it. He had many other obligations to attend to, due to his disappearance and his brother's sudden reappearance, so the wait was to be expected. I’ll disclose the results of our meeting in a little bit; before this entry is complete.

Firstly though, please allow me to share with you, my secret diary, how I made it back to Canterlot in the first place. The journey involved a few new faces, along with plenty of old.

“... we quickly learned that we were in for a fight! Each and every one of us were ready to throw down, so you know that Manticore didn’t stand a chance!” animatedly retells Rainbow Dash to the gathered crowd before him, here at Sugarcube Corner. This has got to be, like, the tenth time he’s retold the entire Everfree Forest story by this point. Despite this, he’s still telling it just as excitedly as he did the first time. “That’s when Butters; quiet, sweet, not-so-little Butterscotch, yelled at us to stop… and then proceeded to lift the Manticore up with one hoof, like it was a common house cat!”

“There was a thorn in her poor paw,” Butterscotch whispers softly to himself… again. He’s done this every single time Dash has gotten to this part but due to how quiet he’s speaking, and how much the audience is oohing and aahing, I’m not sure if his fellow pegasus ever really heard him. All this attention must be torture for the big guy.

Doesn’t help that Rainbow Dash is using him as his personal podium, forcing him to remain on stage.

How rude! Still, I find myself laughing at the sight all the same as I calmly munch on my cupcake treat. Relaxing myself even further, I lean backwards into my soft personal pillow and sigh contently... Said personal pillow, for reference, is Dusk Shine’s warm barrel.

… Hypocrisy, thy name is Barbara The Dragoness. My cozy pony doesn’t seem to mind at all, though, as he continues to lay down on the ground and watch his new friends happily.

Bubble Berry is jumping all over the place, hoofing out treats. Applejack is helping to tell Rainbow’s story by setting facts straight. He is thankfully not perched on top of Butterscotch's head too like the main speaker. Lastly Elusive is laying down next to Dusk and I, passively combing his spiraled mane with the aid of his sparkling blue magic and a small, hoofheld mirror.

It’s been three whole hours since Solaris left for Canterlot. In that time, I’ve more or less learned the entire story about my friends’ journey. According to the six of them, Nebula was crafty, and the forest was thick. These two factors combined were what caused the trip to take as long as it did. If it weren’t for Bubble Berry’s foresight in bringing food, even if it was all party sweets, and if not for the filtered water provided by a certain sea serpent that lives in the forest… well I really don’t want to think about what could have happened. Beyond this, everything else was mostly the same from the show.

… Mostly.

Applejack proved to again be the Element of Honesty by honestly telling Dusk that he was going to be fine when in danger; even when he was hanging for dear life to the edge of a cliff. This was just like the show… except male Applejack didn’t give Dusk a chance to let go himself and instead opted to push him over. No patience with that one, it seems…

Butterscotch’s kindness shined through his rough and unkempt exterior thanks to the Manticore attack, as you just heard. His scenario was the most like the show’s from what I’ve gathered.

Bubble Berry, in contrast, set the scary trees on fire.

Yup.

He had smashed a bottle of his special brew over the offending plant life and proceeded to use his three ear piercings (which each represent one of his brothers, as a sweet side note. Apparently he has three?) to start the spark that lit them all up. The laughter that followed the insane act convinced Dusk that BB was for sure the Element of Laughter… because reasons.

This was still all done to a song about giggling at the ghostly.

With the flaming backdrop and the deeper voice, I can only imagine that this world's version was metal as hell.

Moving on; Elusive had pretty big horseshoes to fill when it came to calming down the sea serpent from her initial turmoil. With Rarity, she just had to fix the watery beast’s mustache by generously chopping off her tail. While Elusive has a long flowing tail like Rarity's, his was unfortunately not up to the task at fixing what Nightterror Nebula had taken from this reality’s mustache-less lady Everfree dweller. Here, the fallen Prince had used his warblade to haphazardly slice off most of the unfortunate woman’s flowing mane. From the sound of it, he had even cut it off unevenly which made it next to impossible to rearrange or restyle without cutting off even more. So… what did Elusive do then?

Well he asked Dusk for a spell to shave off his entire head and tail, that's what.

With her new do, the serpent was more than happy to let the six cross her river and Dusk was more than happy to give the now bald Elusive the Element of Generosity. Thank goodness the Elements regrew all that hair; I remember mourning the loss of my own in my first few years of life, so I feel his pain. Stupid dragon physiology... Anyways, the Elements didn't just do the impossible and restored Elusive's mane to it's original form, but their light also cleaned up all the scars and minor damages the journey had inflicted on him and the rest of the bearers as well...

… Speaking of damage, this brings us to Rainbow Dash.

He almost got everypony killed.

Now don’t get me wrong; it’s comforting to know that Dusk has a friend who, when given the choice between his companions and his lifelong dream, chooses his friends every time. That said; the extreme confidence this Rainbow Dash exudes, thanks to whatever event in his life gave him the courage to present himself as a mare while still preferring to be called a stallion, needs to be simmered asap. I thought that his earlier stopping of Applejack’s charge against Nebula was an indication that he might have a good head on him; but when the three ‘Shadowbolts’ showed up and offered him a spot on their roster, in exchange for abandoning the mission, Dash’s response… was to imply that each and every one of their mothers was a 'lady of the night' who did tricks for peanuts.

Their cutting retort to this was to start angrily waving swords around.

A fight broke out soon after, and only halted when the bridge that it took place on snapped and sent everypony tumbling. The Shadowbolts disappeared into ethereal smoke shortly thereafter, and the boys were forced to climb back up the misty mountains in their injured states. Eventually they made it to the castle and proceeded to battle The Nightterror who, thanks to having actually been the conjured Shadowbolts himself, was still tired from their last encounter. This left him weak enough for the group to handle thanks to the aid of the newly discovered Elements of Harmony.

So… yeah. I’m now really glad I didn’t go. I have no idea how I would have reacted to any of… that nonsense, but it probably wouldn’t have been pretty nor helpful in the long run.

Knock knock knock

A sudden banging on the door to the bakery shakes me out of my thoughts and returns me to the present. Since Sugarcube Corner is currently packed to the brim with ponies wanting to hear about their new heroes, the door has been shut tight to prevent anypony else from entering. Everypony mostly ignores the interruption but, since I’ve been waiting here for a guard with a chariot to come pick me up, I decide to leave Dusk’s side for a moment and take a quick peek outside. He doesn't even notice my absence; he's clearly still too enamored by the mere novelty of 'hanging out' with his friends to care. Working my way over to the other side of the room, I move a stool up to the door once I'm there and then open the top half of it, leaving the bottom half closed. Now able to see the outside world again, I turn to look who's knocking.

I about fall right over when I see who it is.

“D-dusk!” I tilt my head-backwards and whisper lowly, trying to catch Dusk's, and only his, attention. “Dusk!”

To my surprise, this works. Dusk alone turns his head…

… and his eyes widen when he sees a familiar white mare’s head sticking out from the entrance’s windowsill.

Looking back and forth, making sure nopony spots him, Dusk stealthily gets up from his spot and heads over to the portal. Soon thereafter, the two of us head outside together and ready ourselves to address this new pony. The reason for our silence and secrecy is quite simple, you see.

Dusk had told me prior his desire to introduce his new friends to his sister at a later date, once he’s gotten to know them better himself.

You can imagine our shared surprise, then, when we now find a fully armored Gleaming Shield standing before us. A flying chariot, with two pegasus guardmares standing watch next to it, can be seen behind her as she… she…

… fights hard not to throw up. Did she forget that air travel makes her sick? I’m betting that’s the case…

“BSBFF!” Dusk squees happily, jumping up and down in place. “I’m so happy to see you! You’ll never guess the week I’ve had! You se-”

“O-one sec, little Bro,” Gleaming begs, leaning over and breathing hard. “M-must have been something I ate…umph... Just give me a minute...”

Dusk and I wait patiently as the captain of the royal guard, who has had a number of years of work expeditions and traveling under her belt, pants heavily in a hunched manner due to another lost battle against motion sickness. Poor girl...

Before I’m given the chance to feel anymore sorry for her, or to ponder on why she’s even here, Gleaming's panting stops... but her head remains tilted downwards towards the ground.

Dusk takes this as a cue to continue.

“Gleaming,” he chirps excitedly. “I told you I was right about The Nightterror! And you didn’t believe me, hah! But don’t worry! My new friends and I showed him who's bos-”

SMACK!!!

Time slows to a crawl as I recoil in sudden horror, and my eyes take in a terrible sight. A noise, not unlike the snapping of thunder, rings out loudly in my ears as my sluggish mind tries to decipher what had just transpired. Gleaming…

... G-gleaming Shield just slapped her brother across the face.

Hard.

With an armored horseshoe.

From his new position on the ground, having been sent flying, Dusk shivers in fear as he brings a hoof to his bright red, stinging cheek. “W-w-what?” he asks desperately towards one of the few ponies he had thought would never hurt him. Tears begin to form.

Gleaming glares coldly in return. All traces of her former sickness have been erased fully from her features.

“... There were thirty guards stationed at key locations throughout this town on the date of the celebrations, Dusk,” she begins to list, never once raising her voice. “Of those thirty, five were trained under me personally and were assigned to town hall for the entirety of the event, Dusk.”

“G-gleaming…” Dusk shakily speaks back, shrinking under his elder sister’s scary expression.

“Ponyville also had pegasus ponies and Wonderbolts trained for aerial combat on standby,” she goes on, continuing to stare aggressively. “And unicorns trained in counterspells, as well as earth ponies trained in fortress busting… But none of them knew where to go, Dusk.”

“G-gleam…”

“None of them could enter the Everfree without an organized assault plan, Dusk.”

“BSB-”

“None of them had any Intel about the Elements… But you know who did, Dusk Shine?" She asks, almost innocently.

She then ominously leans closer.

"... An untrained, unqualified, and unarmed civilian!”

I stumble backwards as the guard captain finally raises her voice. Dusk starts whimpering as Gleaming’s hoof proceeds to poke him hard in the chest; there's nothing I can do about it either! I'm completely frozen in place and can’t do anything but helplessly watch things unfold. I-I’ve never seen her like this before in my life, and I don't think Dusk has either.

“And that, little brother, is what you are,” the older mare growls, bringing her eyes close to her brother's own. “I don’t give a single, flying, feather about who your teacher is, Dusk; you are a civilian first and foremost and should have known better!”

“B-but,” Dusk tries to defend.

“You should have given the book to the guards!”

“Bu-”

“You should have let them handle it!”

“You don’t underst-”

“You could have been killed, Dusk!” Gleaming chokes up, but she recovers quickly; refusing to show weakness. “You could have gotten yourself and all those ponies that went with you killed. Then… who does that leave behind, Dusk? Hm? Do you even know? Well... I’ll tell you who, buster.

“That leaves six families without their sons.

“That leaves several ponies without their brothers.

“That leaves not one, but two Princes that would miss their favorite pupil dearly. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about your old foalsitter, Dusk! And…”

~Twinkletwinkle~

Being forcefully lifted off the ground by Gleaming’s magical aura, I now find myself hovering before the yelling mare. I'm treated like an at-ready shield as she uses me as her final example.

“... that leaves one baby dragon without a charge to watch over!” she finishes, awkwardly levitating me closer to Dusk’s face. “Come on, Dusk; you know she would blame herself forever if something bad happened to you. How could you do that to her?!”

W-well... she’s not wrong, sadly...

Regardless; this final addition causes Dusk’s ears to wilt, and he turns his head away from both his sister and I in a small attempt to escape from the guilt.

“... I know…” Dusk eventually whispers. He then tries to raise his voice as he repeats himself. “I-I know, Gleam.”

The magic around me abruptly ceases to be, which leads me to falling on my tail. Oomph! I rotate myself around, ready to angrily address the pony who had rudely picked me up only to drop me...

... But the sad looking pony I find instead snuffs out my ire entirely.

“If you knew...” Gleaming Shield speaks tiredly, as her own angry spark slowly dies out too. All it leaves behind is a hollow husk of a mare; one who is clearly beyond both anger and sadness. “Then… why did you risk it all, Dusty?” she asks, using his foalhood nickname. “W-why would you even think to hurt us like this?”

“Isn’t that what you do everyday, Sis?” Dusk shoots back defensively, finding the strength to rise back to his hooves.

Gleaming shakes her head.

“I’m a trained soldier of Equestria,” she explains. Her tiredness is evident in her voice. “And it’s what my cutie mark has always told me to do. It’s who I am. I’ve made peace with this life long ago, as did every guard under my command… But it isn’t your life, Dusk!” she pleads weakly. “The life of a scholar is your calling! Everypony knows that! There was no point in you risking yourse-

“YES THERE WAS!”

At the sudden raised voice, Gleaming and I take a step back from the now fuming Dusk Shine. His mane temporarily shifts into a flame-like form due to his anger but, with a single breath to calm himself, the fire dies out as quickly as it appeared.

“... Big Sis,” Dusk speaks up, addressing his sister properly. Despite this, his head is still lowered as he tries to verbally sort his mind out. “Something... magical happened a few days ago that I don't think I can explain with my books. I saw the unthinkable; a pony of legend. I saw him attack and hurt so many foals and children… including Barb," he adds, glancing my way for a moment before resuming looking down at his hooves. "It was in that instance, as I held her still form, that I realized just h-how out of my depth I was, and how little of a chance I stood against him…

“... But I still told Nightmare Nebula, to his face, to buck off.”

Gleaming absentmindedly mutters “language,” probably for my sake, but it goes ignored as Dusk starts to paces about. His head begins to rise as his words pick up steam.

“I told him so many things, Gleaming, that were crude, and rude, and not befitting of a student of Prince Solaris… but I said them anyways. And then I raced to find a weapon to stop him, without thinking, only to be rewarded with five others willing to die for the cause; to fight and to bleed to get the sun back.

“And then…then... we just… did it! Without really dwelling on it; without overthinking it... we won. We fought and laughed and screamed and… G-gleaming Shield,” Dusk stutters, finally focusing his eyes on his sister’s own. The stallion sucks in air briefly before steadying himself, so that he may say his next words more clearly. “These last four days have taught me what kind of pony I really am. And… you’re right. I am a scholar...

“... but I’m also a fighter.”

With that honest declaration, coming straight from the heart, the tables have turned. Suddenly Dusk is the one glaring, and Gleam is the one too shocked to speak.

I, meanwhile…

… remain the same flabbergasted little dragon I was at the start of this whole ‘simple’ exchange. I guess it's safe to say that one of Twilight Sparkle's songs was full of baloney now. 'We never had a single fight' my, scaly, butt.

“I'm a fighter, Gleam,” Dusk repeats once again, for both his sister's sake as well as his own. “And I’ve learned that I’m willing to fight until my last breath for Equestria, as well as for my... my friends. Was it the best option available to me? Solaris no! But... would I do it again in a heartbeat?

“Yes.

"Yes I would.

“... I don’t see anything wrong with that, do you, Sis?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

"..."

“... Why couldn’t you take more after our mother, Dusk?” Gleaming groans loudly, finally granting us her first real smile since arriving. “The worse we have to worry about from her is maybe a paper cut from a bingo card. Heh; fighting an evil alicorn, in order to save the world from eternal night, is most definitely not on one of her neatly crafted schedules. A true role model if ever there was one, haha! ”

“... Hehe,” Dusk laughs back too in an improved mood, grinning slightly as well. "I’m not completely like dad now if that’s what your afraid of, Gleam. No thrill seeking for me, thank you! For example; on top of discovering that I actually have a spine, I also discovered that I handle being thrown off a bridge the same way as everypony else does!”

“Really?” Gleaming snorts in amusement, taking the bait. “And how, exactly, does one handle such a thing, Dusty? Hmm?”

“Poorly,” Dusk responds, delivering the punchline.

The two of them crack up further over this, now thankfully back on good terms with one another. I keep my lips sealed during the continued exchange, and try my best not to muck up this lovely sibling reunion.

This has been surprisingly sweet... in a weird sort of way.

Thinking about it, while I wait for these two to wrap up; I barely saw anything about Gleaming Shield's other worldly half, Shining Armor, from the little amount of the show I got to watch after his introduction. Because of this, I've never been entirely sure what his relationship to Twilight Sparkle was actually like, outside of the one song about him and the few exchanges the two shared on screen... But long ago did I realize that I didn't need 'future vision' to see how strong the love between Dusk and Gleaming is.

All I needed, all anybody ever needed, was two (or one, in Solaris' sad case) clear eyes to see that it's as strong as a brother/sister bond can possibly get.

One little argument isn't going to break them up that easily.

“Well,” Gleaming starts to say, now done whooping it up. “Guess I better finish up here and head back to Canterlot, little Bro. Things are pretty crazy up there at the moment, as you can imagine.”

“Oh… Okay,” Dusk replies, sounding disappointed. “What were you even doing here anyways, BSBFF?”

Gleaming hums to herself. “Well... to start…” Then, using her magic, the mare drags Dusk closer to herself and proceeds to noogie the top of his head roughly. “I came firstly to cheerfully yell at my dunderhead of a little brother!” she happily scolds. “I’m still unbelievably pissed about what happened... but I’m happy you’re okay.”

“I-I-I won’t be f-f-for long,” Dusk jitters as his sister tightens her headlock and rubs his scalp harder.

“His Highness only gave me the run done on what happened here, so I'll be sure to tell the folks you're okay too when I can. No need to worry there, Bro... Secondly,” she wraps up, finally releasing her grip. She then turns to address me, though her words are clearly meant for all parties present. “I came to give Barb a ride back to Canterlot. Prince's Orders.”

Shaking the daze out of his eyes, Dusk takes a second to reorient himself before looking at me queerly.

“Back… to Canterlot?” he asks, darting his attention back and forth between his sister and I. Oh, oops; in all the excitement I must have forgotten to tell him what I’m doing.

I better correct that. “I'm just swinging by the old place and picking up a few things, Dusk,” I explain, offering him a reassuring smile. “Clothes, toothbrushes, combs… secret gem stashes… you know; the essentials!”

Dusk nods' in understanding. “I see... Good thinking! That's why you're my number one assistant... Say, while you're up there... Can you als-”

“I’m not bringing your book collection, Dusk.”

Dusk blinks blankly at this straightforward, humorless response.

“... Oookaaayyy... But what about jus-”

“I’m not bringing twenty books,” I shoot back, standing firm.

“Ugh! Fair enough... But how about one set instead, lik-”

“I’m not bringing even five books back, Dusk.”

“What?! P-please bring at lea-”

“I am not bringing any books. Period," I roughly lay down the law. Gleaming snickers in the background as I go on. “You have a new library full of new books. Finish what's already on your ‘plate’, mister, and maybe I’ll bring some more over later... Deal?”

“... Fine,” Dusk answers, pouting like a foal. The savior of Equestria, fillies and gentlecolts. Oy vey.

“I’ll probably be gone a day or so, Dusk,” I continue, choosing to ignore his embarrassing display. My words cause him to grow up a little before my eyes, and change his expression from spoiled-child sad to just… sad sad, I guess you could describe it. This doesn't stop me from tacking on, “Please don’t stay up late reading again, and remember to eat actual food and not just snacks.”

... Says the girl whose had nothing but cupcakes for lunch, h-hehe…

“A couple days?” my oldest friend asks me sadly, his ears wilting. “D-do you really think you’ll be gone that long, Barb?”

At first I’m confused by such a clingy sounding question… but then I recall that this is one of the first times Dusk has ever been away from Canterlot, and one of the first times he’s been away from members of his family, myself, or members of Prince Solaris’ castle. Now no longer fueled by a purpose and copious amounts of adrenaline, he must be getting just a tiny bit nervous about being on his own...

... This... t-this is probably how things would have played out with my little Nathaniel, if his momma was still alive to see him grow up...

...

... Keep it together, Barbara. Keep it together. Breathe in, breathe out...

... L-like I was just pondering in a overly normal manner, and certainly not angsting about anything in the slightest; everyone has to leave the nest eventually, my friend. Today just happens to be your day.

“You’ll be fine without me,” I reassure him kindly as I approach his side. “You were just fine last night, remember? And you won’t be alone...”

As if to prove my point, a crashing noise can be heard from behind us at Sugarcube Corner. We about face just in time to see Bubble Berry’s silhouette, behind the closed blinds, bounce onto Applejack’s own silhouette and accidentally start an impromptu dog pile. Shouts can be heard as a brawl breaks out; one angry cry is full of country hollering, another is full of cheeky banter, a third has small whimpers in it, the forth has undignified sounding screeches, and the last one is full of large, jovial laughter.

“... They seem nice,” Gleaming comments plainly.

“They… are,” Dusk admits after a pause. Despite having to take the second to process the declaration, his words are clearly full of truth. “They really are… Please have a safe trip, Barb.”

“And have as much fun as you can handle, Dusk,” I order right back. “Maybe even more than that. It’s what you deserve.”

With a slight blush now on his cheeks, Dusk leans low and wraps a foreleg around my form. I wrap my own arms around his muzzle and hug him right back. We hold our place for a moment before breaking up and waving goodbye to one another. Gleaming Shield joins in, and the two of us only stop our flailing once Dusk has fully disappeared into the chaotic mess that is Sugarcube Corner.

“Ready to go, Barb?” the head guardmare asks me cheerfully, now offering me a grin.

"Um-hum," I chime, smiling as well.

“Alrighty then! Gleaming laughs. "Let’s get going!” she orders loudly as she starts to trot away.

Granting the bakery one last backwards glance, I quickly pump my legs up in down in order to catch up to my mare friend’s long-legged stride. It doesn’t take the two of us long to sit ourselves down inside the chariot, and it takes even less time than that for the two pegasus guards to flap their wings and raise up into the air. Once we're high up and above it all; Gleaming removes her helmet, and allows herself to scoot up next to me, in order to watch the peaceful scene of Ponyville shrinking further and further away into the distance. A comfortable breeze washes over us as we take it all in; flowing through my spines, and Gleaming's once helmet-pressed mane, in order to grant us both a well deserved sense of calm and peace

“... That was the happiest I've ever seen Dusk be in his entire life,” my blue haired companion speaks up finally, after the momentary bout of silence between us. “And the most… driven!”

A chuckle leaves my lips at this.

“He’s made great friends, Gleam” I answer truthfully. “I think they’ll help him a whole lot.”

“I think they already have,” she counters, now fighting hard not to cry. She sniffles slightly, and uses a hoof to wipe her eyes. “Our little Dusty is growing up…”

Patting her back with a claw, I nostalgically dwell on how similar Gleamings reactions to this have been to my own. I'm betting their parents are probably going to act pretty much the same to this news as well... including having similar panic attacks over how the friendship initially kicked off.

"Thanks," Gleam beams in appreciation for my patting...

... She then leans in closer, forcing the massage to end, in order to asks me a very vital question.

“Please tell me you got a picture of him with his new friends, Barb!”

The question causes me to blink blankly.

A... picture?

...Really?

A-after aaaaalllll the commotion that's happened today... Does she really think I had the time, or even the foresight to take a single... What kind of gal does she take me for???

…

…

... With speed that would make even ninja jealous, I swiftly reach into my purse and produce about twenty different photos of various shapes and proportions.

“Do you want wallet sizes, or 8 X 10s?” I ask Gleaming proudly as I sort out my newly acquired collection of freshly printed group and head shots. As I look down and shuffle my new prizes in my claws, I explain that, “I met this earth pony dude with glasses and a fashionable shirt, named Snap Shot, who had one of those new instant camera thingys. He gave me a good deal for little over a bundle. I’ve got shots of them all together, and a few profile shots too! S-sorry that I have more shots of Elusive than anypony else, but I think you’ll agree with me that it was bits well spent when you see how handsome he looks at this angl-”

“BLARGH!!!”

"Hm?" I ask in a confused manner; having been interrupted from my sorting. My head tilts upwards as well, in response to the noise, as I glance over my pictures and see that Gleam is no longer paying attention to me, but is instead… Oh ew ew ewwww!! Grrroooossss!!

One sec, BRB!

…

...

...

…Okay. Back. Ahem... Like I was saying; I turn to see Gleaming Shield now hunched over the edge of the chariot and nothing else happened before this. Nothing gross and nightmare inducing at all, eeyup... Right now the poor sick pony stuck here with me, for another half hour or so, is currently… um...

… strategically assaulting the Everfree Forest below with a classic showing of chemical warfare!

Yeah!

...

... T-this is about the nicest way I can put any of this, people. Please don’t make me say more. Being a narrator sucks in times like this. With the photos now safely re-stashed away in my purse, I decide to hold Gleaming’s mane back in my claws as she… well... does her thing.

“I-I blame the mess hall’s veggie tacos,” she pathetically tries to justify herself, unwilling to point at simple air sickness as being the culprit. “I’ll have to… ungh… h-have a word with the cooks later, obviously…”

I roll my eyes.

“Don’t think about food, girl,” I groan. “I know I’m not going to now. Think about something else, like…”

My sight drifts to the purse at my side; the photos within grant me an excellent idea.

“... Like how Dusk is now friends with a farmer, a crossdresser, a suit maker, a giant, and a pony on a perpetual sugar high.”

“...”

Rotating her head slightly, even as I still gently held her mane, Gleaming grants me a weak smile.

“I-I’d very much would like to hear more, Barb.”

Heh. Your wish is my command, dear.

Entry 3, Part 2 (... Friends?)

I'm happy to report that my flight between Ponyville and Canterlot was mercifully short, and devoid of further incidents. Our chariot departed from us equally as quickly too; well before I could so much as say 'thank you' to the pegasi who had broken many, many speed laws for the sake of getting Gleaming Shield's hooves back on steadier ground. In their absence I was left to tend to my 'little' airsick pony all by my lonesome. To ease her suffering, we used the spare time we had to quietly sit down on the ground, off to the side of the docks, and simply wait things out until she was feeling up to moving around again. The familiar mountain air did wonders to restore her to a state of normalcy, as too did the circular motions of my claws on her back.

My efforts would ultimately prove pointless, however. What really restored Gleaming's vitality and energy, and got her up and moving again, was not my gentle care or concern but instead the timely arrival of a stallion.

An alicorn stallion, to be precise.

He was a pony I was unfamiliar with at the time, and certainly one I had not met before in person. Similarly to the rest of his kind I had met thus far, this pony was a majestic being through and through; one whose presence turned Gleaming’s four knees into pure jelly, and whose smile tinted her cheeks bright red. To those reading this who were originally from Earth, and who even less likely watched the show my new life is based on; this mystery alicorn was none other then Dusk’s old foalsitter from before I was born.

He is this world’s version of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

The surprise encounter was actually the first time I had ever met Princess Cadence’s male counterpart. I had remembered seeing pictures of him throughout Canterlot Castle, hearing small stories about him from his adopted uncle Solaris, and I vaguely recalled actually talking to him once before; back when I was an infant still relearning how to talk. I didn't think that counted at the time, and I still stick by that call now; the two of us had never properly crossed paths before prior to that day. As another small note, Cadence’s character was introduced on the MLP show at around the same time as Shining Armor’s introduction. So, just like when I originally met Gleaming Shield; that day I knew that I was basically going in blind. From what I could still recall, from before we officially met, Cadence was the typical Princess archetype, save for possibly a bit more of a backbone.

Thinking back on it now, as I write this, I'll admit that I was honestly a little excited for the encounter I was about to have with this man. He was another one of Dusk's teachers growing up, like Solaris, and based on her reactions Gleaming obviously liked him already. With two roundabout votes of confidence coming from two of my good friends, I was ready to accept this Prince in his entirety with open arms.

Then he opened his mouth, and swiftly destroyed my excitement.

This was due to the discovery of him being an ass a jerk a difficult pony Solaris Jr. evil cupid a well, him.

“Captain Gleaming Shield... Heh, you look like shit!”

… I think it’s safe to say that our TV -Y rating has been thoroughly flushed down the toilet by this point, folks. I don’t think those words would go over well with the target demographic’s parents one bit...

I don’t think a Prince of Love would go over well with parents period, now that I think about it. Especially when he looks like this.

The best way I can describe the alicorn now approaching us is that he has… swagger. The way he trots is mesmerizing, I’m embarrassed to admit, and he travels about with his wings standing firm and fully erect. The pink of his coat is almost blinding as well, and it makes the magenta highlights in both his wings and mane stand out even more. Speaking of hair, the three colored mane on his head flows majestically uninterrupted over his features, resulting in it completely covering his ears and almost an entire eye as well. It sort of reminds me of Butterscotch’s mane in that respect, though it's admittedly a more organized mess then his. Not a split-end in sight, amazingly.

As I watch him close the distance between us, I start to notice how mares across this shipyard, and even a few stallions, are now snapping their necks every which way for even the chance to catch a glance of the sauntering Prince… or maybe just his backside. That tail of his is super short, after all. It’s certainly not covering much of anything…

… Oh dear god, Elusive might have made me attracted to ponies…

Sudden horrific revelations aside; upon realizing exactly who was calling out to her, Gleaming gasps loudly and regains enough sense of her mental facilities to lower herself down in a speedy bow. “Prince Mi Amore Bolero!” she stutters out quickly. “W-what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here, your Majesty?”

“A vacation,” Prince Mi Amore Bolero beams in good spirits, gesturing with his horn towards a fancy looking luxury airship docked a little ways over. A tinted pair of sunglasses are next levitated out of his royal saddle bags and, after a quick magical parting of his mane, are firmly placed in their proper place on the ridge of his snout. “I’ve been the acting ruler of Equestria for the last four days, Gleam!" he further explains, which takes me aback. I didn't hear anything about that in Ponyville! I should try to read a newspaper when I can... I wonder what else happened up here when Dusk and I were gone?

While I ponder this, the young Prince chortles as he goes on to say, "Thanks to that literal nightmare, I need to spend the next four years in Los Pegasus to recuperate, stat! I think it's the least Equestria owes me right now, heh. You agree with me, right Gleaming?

"... Get off the ground already, my dude. You’re making a scene.”

With a nervous cough, Gleaming complies. “M-my apologies, Prince Boler-”

Bolero rudely cuts off my gal friend by poking her hard in the breastplate, and randomly shouting, “Bolo!”

I blink blankly.

“... Bolo?” I ask in the awkward silence.

“Bolo,” Bolero repeats for me, despite never looking my way. He nods his head in a sagely manner as he says it.

I’m... confused.

Without acknowledging me any further, the Prince resumes addressing Gleaming. “You know I like to be called Bolo, Gleam,” he chides the captain, laughing. “The least you can do is remember it, dude.”

Gleam’s cheeks burn a deeper shade of red. “R-right, Bolo. Sorry…”

“... Bolo?” I ask a second time, still very confused.

Bolo disregards my lack of understanding with the wave of a golden horseshoe adorned hoof. “Oh, it’s just a nickname this cute little colt I used to foalsat a lot gave me. Smart kid, we even had a secret hoofshake, but he still had just the darnedest time trying to pronounce Boler-... wait…” the alicorn interrupts himself as he turns his head and looks at me a little bit closer. He tilts his sunglasses up a smidgen too, so that he can train one of this light purple eyes on me. “Heeeey... you’re Dusk’s dragon assistant!” at last recognizes the Prince of Love. He then lightly taps a hoof against the ground and hums as he rummages his memories. “What was your name what was your name… You’re Borb!”

“It’s Barb,” I correct.

“Yeah! That’s just what I said, my dude Borb!”

… I don’t like this guy.

Ignoring my clear frustration, Bolo keeps on chuckling away. “Yoooo! It’s been forever since I saw you or old Dusty around! Heheh! You probably don’t even remember me do you, little gal?”

“Thankfully no.”

“Haha!” he guffaws, happily allowing my insult to flow off him like water from a duck’s back. “Wow! You really took after Dusk, huh? Always loved how blunt that little dude could get... Say, how’s my favorite social despot doing these days anyways, Borb?”

Snorting and crossing my arms, I make my clear lack of care for this pony’s brazen attitude evident to all. “He made friends and saved the world,” I state plainly, purposely leaving out details. “What have you done recently, hmm?

“... I-I mean besides the whole ruler of all of Equestria for a bit thing,” I cough, adding this last part under my breath.

Again Bolero laughs heartily, choosing to ignore my comments completely…

… but then the laughter slows to a crawl as my words actually register with him.

“He… made friends?” Bolero asks us; this evidently being his biggest takeaway from my report. He then turns his head back to Gleaming and redirects the question a little more forcefully. “He has friends, Gleam?!”

This question causes Gleaming to finally let up on her shaking and her stuttering; she now grins joyfully towards her secret coltfriend (I mean it’s totally obvious, right?).

“He made five,” she reports, smiling as brightly as her lips will allow.

Prince Bolero mimics the expression perfectly.

“O, M, S,” the pink stallion can’t hide his elation, even behind the massive wings he now uses to cover his mouth. “Even after all those failed play-dates with his classmates? I-I thought he would never be able to... Are you two for real?”

“It’s all true, Bolo,” Gleaming continues to gloat, glowing proudly. With her horn now shining bright pink with a levitation spell, a few of the photos I had handed out earlier float right on out of her saddlebags and present themselves forward towards Bolero. “Barb and I have the pictures to prove i-”

“GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE!!”

I squeak in surprise as Bolero’s horn suddenly bursts into life and yanks one of Gleam's gifted pics away in a baby blue aura. The act shocks my unicorn pal just as badly, and causes her to drop the remaining pictures on the stone ground. With the group shot now successfully in Bolero's grasp, the Prince’s eyes meticulously jump about the sheet; carefully scanning every little detail the snapshot can provide for him.

“... Large stallion, stylized goatee,” Bolo whispers rapidly under his breath, taking information in at a lightning pace. “Below him; a larger stallion, laying down, almost knocking his friends out of frame. Pink crest, pink beard, can’t see his eyes… A well groomed unicorn next to him; I'm jealous of the mane… Pink earth pony above him, overly excited. Love the piercings… There’s Dusk in the middle. Hasn’t changed his style since he was a foal, I see. Lastl- GASP!! GLEAMING!” the alicorn shocks us again with a large scream. Having assured our attention, he rotates the picture forward in his magic and points the tip of his hoof at one pony in particular.

Rainbow Dash.

“IS THIS ONE A MARE?!”

Blinking, Gleaming recovers first from being stunned by answering the question with, “No. That’s a stallion, apparently.”

“BUT IS HE A STALLION OR IS SHE A STALLION?!”

Gleam takes a step back from the now very close pony. “W-why does that mat-”

“THIS IS IMPORTANT, MY DUDE!!”

“He!” my friend replies, flinching. “Barb said that he’s a he! He just likes being pretty!”

Now its Bolero’s time to blink. Flipping the photo again in his magical aura, the stallion takes a closer look at the image...

… He then conjures a pink pen out of the ether and uses it to draw little circles around both Dusk and Dash’s head-shots, as well as straight lines in order to connect the two together.

I... don't like where this is going.

“This could still work,” Bolero contemplates aloud, probably forgetting that we’re still present. “A little nudge here, a push there..." He begins steepling his feather tips in front of him, tapping each digit against one another. "Yeeeessss, hehehe… This could work indeed...”

Sweat drips across mine and Gleaming Shield's faces as we start noticing, from the other side of the floating photograph, how Bolero is adding little hearts and stars around the two ponies’ images.

“W... w-what could work, Bolo?” I drum up the courage to ask the flipping Pony of Love. I am fearful of the answer.

Never looking away from his picture, Bolo, in a Solaris sort of way, answers my question with another question.

“When do you think this ship will sail?”

Gleaming and I both take this about as well as you would expect.

“WHAT?!” we scream in unison; with Gleam's horn sparking fiercely and plums of emerald flames dancing in the back of my throat.

Briefly I ponder if it’s still frowned upon to set ponies on fire around these here parts.

Before my thoughts could stray even further towards the dark side, Bolo draws his gaze away from the photo and stares at the two of us intently for our reactions. His sunglasses magically float off of his face as he does, and perch themselves atop his forehead.

“... The ship…” he repeats himself for us, drawing out his words effortlessly as we hang off of each one.

He then…

... gestures with his horn towards the luxury airship still standing by behind us.

Prince Bolero smiles brightly.

“I wonder when it will depart?” he finishes in an innocent tone, fluttering his eyelashes.

Gleam and I can only stare mutely in response.

Having foolishly fallen into his trap, Bolo laughs loudly once more. “Hah! You girls are a hoot... But, like I said earlier, Gleam; you look like shit, dude!” he repeats himself, now choosing to change the subject. “Come on,” he then orders, lowering his shades again and stowing the photo away into his saddlebag. “You’re coming with me, soldier.”

Gleaming Shield recovers quickly thanks to this command, and is no longer suffering the effects of the heart attack that almost claimed us both mere moments ago. As a quick side note; Dusk may be his own pony, and capable of making his own decisions…

… BUT HE’S STILL TOO YOUNG FOR DATING END OF DISCUSSION.

Moving completely on with our lives and never thinking about such direly dark thoughts again; the guard captain beside me shakes off the last traces of her daze and stands diligently at attention before the Prince. “Where am I needed, your highness?”

Puffing out his chest, and raising his wings high, Bolero makes the honest effort to appear serious and, dare I say, royal for us for a brief shining second. “You are needed, Captain Gleaming Shield…

“... In Los Pegasus… With me… As my personal guard… For like a week…”

Gleaming’s posture weakens.

“I… beg your pardon?” she inquires, her confusion clear. “Bolo… I can’t leave Canterlot right now. Prince Solaris-”

“Is back and well and with his brother,” Bolero cuts off bluntly. “... Who I guess is also my uncle too, now that I think about it… Weird.”

Gleam shakes her head.

“No, Bolo. That’s not what I mean. I’m already duty bound to helping Barb right now,” she points out, aiming a hoof at me. “Prince’s orders.”

“Well I’m a Prince too, my dude. I’m saying you’re good to go.”

“Prince Solaris outranks you in the chain of command, Prince Bolero.”

“And I outrank him in karaoke night!”

“... How does that change anything… at all?”

“Heh,” Bolero snorts in amusement. “It means that I can easily beat Uncle Sol on this, or any order if it’s challenged. So… come on! When was the last time you had a break, Gleam? You look so tired, and… I-I would very much like to spend some time with you,” the Prince blushes, turning away. “We haven’t really gotten to hang out since school, and work keeps things too... professional between us. Bleh.”

Gleam’s face returns to its original crimson glow right alongside Bolero's own, and her knees resume their earlier wobble as well.

“I-I-I still c-can’t, Bolo,” she answers, after having taken a second to somewhat compose herself. “Barb n-needs my hel-”

Alright; I've seen enough.

“Just go already,” I grunt, slapping Gleam roughly on her backside. She neighs cutely thanks to this, and unintentionally gallops away from my side and towards Bolero’s own due to the contact. With her cheeks burning even further red with embarrassment, and with her tail swung to the side to cover her now stinging flank, Gleaming pouts angrily at me.

Crossing my arms yet again, I remain unamused.

“I’m not really bringing back that much,” I explain, impatiently tapping my tail against the dock’s paved ground as I speak. “I can handle this myself. Besides, Prince Bolero is right,” I spit out spitefully, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “You do look like… poo… You should really take a break.”

“Bu-”

My arms remain crossed. “Do it now, or I’ll tell him all about the last Ogres and Oubliettes session you invited me to. You know; the one where your minotaur paladin completed her quest to save the beautiful and majestic Prince Bootycal- oomph.”

I now find a white, armored hoof in my mouth.

Gee, I wonder where that came from.

“O-okay okay!” Gleam hisses at me, glancing back to make sure the Prince doesn't overhear us. “I’ll go! I’ll go!”

Behind the hoof, my lips curl upwards.

“Go get him, tiger,” I cheekily cheer my friend on; after using my claws to remove the offending appendage blocking my mouth, of course. “Knock his socks off… or on... Whichever floats your boat. I'll be sure to let Prince Solaris know where you're at too, so no worries there either, you hear?!”

Gleam now smiles back at me.

“Thanks, Barb,” she whispers right back. We hoof/fist bump briefly before Gleaming rises up fully and turns back towards Bolero. “I’m ready to go if you are, Bolo.”

“I couldn’t be more ready if I tried, Gleam,” bellows the Prince, now swaggering off to his ship. “Hope you’re okay with sharing a room with me for the trip… and the hotel… and literally every waking second for the next week!”

Gleam and I stare dumbly at the Prince of Love one final time as he trots away.

“... This is a dream come true,” Gleaming Shield admits quietly to herself, hearts clear in her eyes.

"Gag me with a spoon," I mutter to myself alone as my unicorn guard gallops off after her so called Prince Charming. With a long wave goodbye to the two lovestruck fools, I watch silently as their ship departs slowly into the horizon.

… Is it sad that I’m happy that Gleaming Shield is probably going to get sick again on that airship, and that Bolero is going to be the one who has to deal with her?

Sigh. Yeah... it kinda is... I'm still going to feel good about it though!

I’m sorry, but I do not like Bolero. At all. He's pretty loud and obnoxious, and his dude/bro voice makes my scales crawl. He has that manipulative atmosphere about him too, just like his uncle Solaris. It almost radiates off him when he so much as moves! It's like his whole being was simply made like this, like a perfect Greek god... which makes me a hundred percent certain that it was not. His entire persona has got to be fake. I mean, what does a Prince of Love even do, in all seriousness?! All I know is that he better not mess with Dusk or his friends any or I swear to the powers that be that I’ll… I'll... Ugh!

...

… Double sigh. Despite my feelings on the subject... all that matters in the end is that Gleaming clearly loves him and, while still annoying; he doesn’t seem to be a bad pony. I guess I really don't have the right to object. Even if I didn’t already know that one of the future episodes is about their wedding, I think I could find it in me to give them my (reluctant) blessings towards their union.

This is actually not the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this in my double length life. Back when I was Barbara D. Burns, I had similar reservations concerning my daughter Ashley’s choice of husband. The not-so-gentleman, Chad, was certainly not the kind of guy I imagined would take my little one’s hand in marriage. I didn't care for him as a person either... but I still cried like a faucet for both of them when they shared their vows.

Ahhhh~

Good memories.

… Well, I better get going.

No point in sticking around here at the docks.

With the clicking of my clawed toes against stone, and eventually marble, I take off towards the city. Despite the sun having risen not too long ago, we must be approaching the dinner time rush where Canterlot gets super busy. Where originally this loading and unloading area was bare and empty, save for a couple chariots and the Prince’s airship, it’s now becoming rather crowded. A few large flying vessels have just landed as well so now ponies, alongside other creatures from all over, are milling about as we speak. It’s sort of nice to watch all the foreign species exchanging ships or exiting towards Canterlot for their visits; it makes my little dragon-self feel a lot less like an outcast in the grand scheme of things. Minotaurs, oxen, and even what looks like a tall anthropomorphic cat are all gathered here today on equal footing, ready to take in the fabled land of ponies in all its splendor. The variety doesn't surprise me at all, not even the cat. Though rare, I’ve seen creatures like her before while growing up again in this city.

I only ever get to see this sort of cultural variety when I'm granted the opportunity to visit these docks, however. Most visitors usually book it towards more entertaining cities like Manehatten or Las Pegasus the moment they're able to make it through the rather strict customs department. There's an atmosphere about this town just seems to rub foreigners the wrong way. Perhaps Canterlot's generationally ingrained 'unicorns-are-better' mentality is to blame for this lack of diversity and unwelcoming atmosphere... but I'm rambling.

What's important to know is that this planet is made up of so much more than just ponies. Yaks, griffons, cows, donkeys; and that's without even mentioning secret races like changelings! Equestria is such a small part of this world, and it's a part that sadly keeps mostly to itself. We know so little about what's going on out there beyond our own borders. A war could be raging on the other side of the globe and we'd only know about it once a survivor crawled their way here! We don't even really trade anything either; our land is bountiful, so no supply line would fall if a country out there was conquered overnight. About the only thing we do trade is stories; stories of heroes and adventures and history as well. I suppose that has a tiny bit of worth. For example; the story behind why creatures in this world still keep cats, parrots, and dogs as pets, despite there also being talking subspecies versions of all three, is actually really interesting. You see, long ag-

“OMPH!”

“Ah!”

Ow ow ow!

... Whoops.

I-I probably should have looked where I was going, huh? Hehe. I don’t know which one of us caused this crash, but I now find myself on the ground next to a similarly downed cloaked creature.

“S-sorry,” I stammer out a quick apology as I rise back to my feet. I offer this person a claw to get back up with, more as a peace offering then any actual help. I'm stronger then you think I would be, but at the end of the day I'm still just a short kid. “That was totally my fault. Are you okay?”

The blanket wearing… being remains lying down and unmoving. If not for the groans, I would have thought that they were seriously hurt. Whether it’s a he or she I can’t really tell, but I can tell that they are at least a fair bit taller than I am.

A real shocker there, I know.

After a solid awkward minute of silence, the creature shifts around on the floor and brings an arm up closer to my offered claw. It’s at this point that I’m finally given a clue to work with for figuring out what they are. The appendage being presented to me now is actually a hoofed foreleg with a light grey coat…

… and with many black stripes running up and down the length of it.

Huh?

A zebra?

In all my years living in Canterlot, I've never met one of those before. They apparently live really far away! Despite being taken by surprise at this revelation, I still lean forward with my arm so that I may better help him or her back up with it…

... though perhaps I can now refer to him as a he? It's a bit of a leap in logic, but there was only ever one zebra pony on the TV show. Not only that, but said pony is one who should be receiving their introduction episode any day now, if the show is still accurate in any significant way. Putting the puzzle pieces together, it would stand to reason that this must be Zecor-

SLAP!!

“Ow!” I gasp out as a sharp pain radiates from the claw I had been keeping aloft this whole time. Retracting my offer, I grip my injured digits with my other claw and gently blow air onto them to ease the stinging. I turn to glare at the mean being who I had been so kindly trying to help out.

The pony in question is now back up on their hooves, having done so all by themselves. With the cloak still concealing them, I still can’t tell their expression right now.

“W-what’s the big idea?” I angrily growl back at the zebra, once my mind processes that they were the culprit for this pain. “I said I was sorry!”

The pony remains quiet.

Before I can say anything more, I'm next forced to take a step backwards as the hidden pony leans closer towards me and puts their muzzle into my face. With them now uncomfortably close to me, I can finally tell that this… is a mare, not a stallion. The single scar around her lips is the second clue that convinces me that this is for sure not male Zecora.

The third clue, the one that puts the final nail into the coffin, is her next few accented words.

“Clumsy dragoness, interrupting my grand quest; begone from my sight!”

That doesn't sound like a rhyming sentence to me, now does it?

Having confirmed that this is a complete stranger, and a rude one at that, I snarl audibly in annoyance as she turns her back and tries to trot away. “I was just trying to help!” I raise my voice, not letting this injustice pass. “There’s no need to be such a bul-”

SWISH!!

The words die on my lips as, faster than my eyes could hope to process, a long wooden staff speedily materializes itself from out underneath her cloak. With practiced ease, the zebra twirls the carved weapon threateningly above herself before settling it mere inches away from my nose.

I… I-I may have bitten off just a tiny bit more than I can chew here, folks.

~Gulp~

Now it's the mare’s turn to growl as she holds me at staff point. The object remains held in the crease of her foreleg, but it still looks plenty well gripped and masterfully handled despite this.

“One who smells of fire,” she rumbles, “whose soul attracts birds of ash; your aid is poison.”

With claws raised upwards in a ‘for-the-love-of-Solaris-I-surrender’ poise, I take a step away from the clearly deranged mare. Where’s a guard when you need one?! “Okay okay!” I plead, trying to retreat. “I’m sorry! Please p-put the stick away an-”

“To call it a stick,” she points the staff closer to me. “Ignoring its length and strength; the insult is great.”

“IT’S A NICE STICK!!” I cry, real tears dripping across my face. “I TRULY MEAN IT!!”

"..."

This pathetic display actually works, because the next thing I know the mare grunts one last time in annoyance and twirls her weapon back underneath her cloak. Without a single word more spared for me, she turns to leave... and I let her do just that without fuss thank you.

As soon as she disappears down the path towards the train station, I collapse on my scaly butt and pant for breath. W-what the hell just happened?

How the hell did she get past customs with that staff?

... And where the hell was her when The Nightterror showed up?! I think that stick is going to replace Nebula’s sword in my nightmares! Brrrr...

... Also, something about what she just said is bothering me now too.

Something that’s on the tip of my forked tongue…

…

"... Let's see... 'One, who, smells, of, fire," I take a second to count the tips of my claws as I repeat the foreigner's words. "What was the next part...? Ah! Right. 'Whose, soul, at, tracts…’ Hmm..."

...

...!!!

The light-bulb turns on in my head.

Oh my gosh.

I…

... I-I think that she…

… was speaking in haikus!

Huh... neat, I guess.

Weird... but neat.

…

…

… I hope I never see her again.

Once the craziness of the docks had come and gone, I decided that a well deserved break was in order. I wanted a place to sit down for a bit, and to write a letter to Solaris’ about our meeting as well, so I hit two birds with one stone by going to my favorite place in all of Canterlot. I ignored the fact that I had a dozen or so of BB's cupcakes piled up in my gut at the time, and I double ignored what happened on the chariot ride prior, as I made the highly productive decision to hit up mine and Dusk's old stomping ground; Donut Mary Joe’s Shoppe.

It was going to be awhile before I had a reason to come back to Canterlot, so I thought I might as well leave it behind on a high note. My journey to the old store was not without difficulties though; Canterlot was still recovering from The Nightterror's, and now Prince Artemis’, return. There was much buzz in the air, and many ponies from all walks of life were sharing rumors with one another in the streets. This blocked the road, unfortunately, and made it difficult for me to navigate. I was forced to take the back roads and alleyways in order to progress. The chatter could be heard wherever I went, however, and made it impossible to ignore.

From what I took away from it, everypony was scared.

Prince Solaris had returned to the castle a few hours prior to this, and there had been no word on what had transpired. Members of the court weren’t able to help alleviate the fear of the masses either, as they too lacked answers. Whispers throughout the city spoke of a possible royal address happening in a few days, but it was speculation at best. To make matters worse, news of Artemis’ appearance had leaked; either from Ponyville or the royal guard is anyone's guess. According to a newspaper I read today, at the time of writing this, he was officially introduced to all of Equestria only this morning. The Summer Sun Celebration was a full week ago, for reference.

On the day of my return to Canterlot, there was a nervous energy in the air as the city slowly approached the scheduled sunset.

~Ding ding ding-a-ling~

The bell above the door to Equestria’s premier donut bakery rings out loudly as I enter the establishment. Nopony bats an eye at the noise or my entry, and frankly I don’t blame them. Based on how absolutely packed this place now is, and how busy the owner Java Cayuse (or Mary Joe, as she likes to be called) seems to be; I don’t think this should come as much of a surprise. Looks like a good chunk of Canterlot had the same idea as me and decided to go get some nice stress food to enjoy. There’s barely any room left in here, and no more outdoor seating either, so I guess I’ll be taking my order to go today.

At least one thing is still constant throughout the multiverse; donuts are perfect for eating while on the move. May I never be reborn into a reality where this fact doesn’t ring true.

Back to what I was saying, it looks like it’ll be awhile before I’ll be able to grab anything. I guess I have the time to wait; it’s not like I’m starving, and there’s no way Solaris will be able to answer my letter to him right away anyways.

With mind made up; I grab an order number, pop a squat on the floor in a far off corner, and make myself comfortable. I make good use of my time too by drafting and sending off the meeting inquiry with the aid of my fire breath and a magic seal. Solaris promised me that he would find time for a talk but, now that he’s actually back on his throne, I figure that he must have a better idea of when said meeting could actually take place for us. He’s bound to be busy at the moment, but maybe he’ll clear his schedule early for me? I guess that’ll ultimately come down to how much he trusts my fake ‘seer’ talk. I’m pretty sure he’s still buying everything I’ve been telling him, but it’s really hard to tell with the guy. I know he knows that I’m still hiding things from him concerning my true nature, but he didn’t make any attempt to wrangle it out of me last time. That could have been due to him being exhausted from the night and his spell but, again, it’s hard to tell with him.

One thing I know for sure; I imagine that we’ll probably not take care of this today. As I mentioned previously on the docks; despite the sun rising not too long ago, the clock on the walls says that it’s almost dusk time (the part of the day, not the pony). Through the window above where I sit, which I had cracked open slightly in order to send my scroll, I can see the sun beginning to set as if it were a normal day.

Upon finishing my sightseeing through the portal to the outside world, having sated my curiosity, I turn around in order to sit back down.

Before I can complete this task, I lift my head up slightly and notice that literally everypony in this room has stopped what they were doing… and are now jittering fearfully in place as they stare out the windows. It takes me a second to process the sight, but soon this reaction makes perfect sense to me.

We’ve been devoid of the sun for the last four days. Now upon its return, after having just risen not five hours ago, it’s already setting? If I wasn’t so in the loop about the Elements and Dusk’s fight with Nebula, I’d imagine that I’d be shaking in my scales the same as everyone else! I wish I could tell everypony here not to worry, and that they don’t have anything to be afraid of, but I’m pretty sure nopony would seriously listen to the words of a chi-

“LOOK UP THERE!!”

A sudden voice, crying from outside, yanks me out of my thoughts and returns me to the now. I stand up, along with many others, as we all turn to see who had just said that. A few ponies gallop outside, to see what the speaker is talking about, and many more rush to crowd the windows. The one I had used not even a minute ago is abruptly taken away from me as I’m rudely swept aside without a second thought.

“For the love of-. Does nopony in this town know how to properly treat a lady?!” I fume audibly, expecting to be ignored.

Good thing I keep my standards low for this town, because that’s exactly what happens.

Figures. Instead of focusing on my anger, I instead use this time to dash between the patrons’ many legs and work my way over to the front door. Once I make it outside, I stare as all heads turn upwards towards where the original, nondescript speaker’s outstretched foreleg is now pointing. My eyes soon join in as well, and trace where she’s trying to lead us all…

… only for my sight to be drawn towards the highest tower in Canterlot Castle. This is where the Prince’s personal chambers lie.

Taking my gaze off of the scene for a brief moment, I look around searchingly for a better vantage point. Spotting an abandoned table, I push myself into action so that I can climb and jump up on top of it with ease; all so that I can see things just a little bit better. From my raised platform, I draw my eyes back upwards and, as a result of my efforts, I can now thankfully make out what everypony else is currently watching very intently. You see, there's this small balcony attached to the Prince’s quarters where he uses his telescope and where he raises the sun and moon on a daily basis. Seeing him out on it now is such a normal, benign occurrence that on an average day I’m sure nopony would have ever taken the time to glance up to see if anything was amiss… But today is not an average day.

Today the Prince has a guest.

The murmurs from the pony crowd around me pick up in strength as this detail becomes more well known. The rising and lowering of the sun is such a private act for the Prince, only shared with his subjects on select days throughout the year, that the sight of a pony now standing next to him is enough to send the rumor mills into overdrive. Even from all the way down here, I can just barely make out the sight of Solaris’ horn glowing in direct correlation to the setting sun. As it dips over the horizon, there is a moment when the world is bathed once again in complete blackness. Arcane street lights start to turn on in response, and candles are burned as well as Canterlot passively fights against the night once again; the same as any other day.

Gasps of shock pass over the gathered ponies, and the whole of Canterlot itself, when this normal nightly routine reveals one tiny deviation.

That deviation being that the light from Prince Solaris’ horn is now fading. He has lowered the sun, but not raised the moon.

The world is silent.

…

… And then Artemis’ horn glows bright blue.

Screeches of panic and confusion ring out loudly in the streets as the unthinkable happens; as another is revealed to possess the power to move celestial bodies. As the moon streaks across the night’s sky, not aided by Solaris’ magic, ponies begin to cry out that this has to be the work of Nightterror Nebula. Many point out how the moon no longer has its ancient mark, and many more are begging to the sky for there not to be another eternal night. The angry whispers turn toxic as more and more rumors are born and quickly circulated; as ponies theorize that Solaris has been possessed by Nebula into relinquishing control, or that the so called ‘Prince’ Artemis was him in disguise. On and on the mob churns, getting madder and madder before my eyes. This lasts all the way through Artemis’ first moon rising since his return, and keeps going once the massive object has settled in its proper place in the sky.

It's only once his horn ends its glow, and the stars start to slowly come out, did the crying and the fearful talks of fallen alicorns… finally stop.

Words are lost on us all as we observe what is honestly the most beautiful night sky any of us had ever seen in our entire lives.

This is not the same darkness Nightterror Nebula had created when he first returned to this world. That night was just like all the other nights Prince Solaris had conjured in his brother’s absence for the last thousand years. It was cold, and dark, and only broken up slightly by a few stars and, of course, the moon. Outside of the imprint of the imprisoned alicorn on the lunar surface, I would be hard pressed to tell you the difference between Equestrian Night and a regular night on Earth.

With Prince Artemis back at the helm… well…

I don’t think there’s a dry eye in the whole dang world.

The stars don’t simply glow now, they shimmer and ignite. They are many and numerous, full of shapes and designs previously unseen on this or any world. Formations of creatures both mythical and real dot the heavens, and shine down on us now complete and whole for the first time in eons. Comets race across the black abyss as well, with coattails made of stardust sparkling brightly behind them. They’re not the only objects that shine brightly either. The moon is now larger and more prominent than ever. Though it doesn’t look any closer then where it was last night, it’s still now possible to see so many little details across its surface; from craters to scars to even the dusty remains of where the Man in the Moon’s image once dwelled.

And I haven’t even mentioned the colors yet.

I’m not talking auroras or describing any sort of technicolored hellscape here. No… what I’m talking about is the overall expression of everything, if that makes any sort of sense to you. The stars are made of blues and reds and yellows, and the moon isn’t just white. Rainbows dot the sky, made up of unthinkable amounts of stardust that fade slowly into the infinite expanse of space as quickly as they appear.

I feel like a blind woman seeing the sky for the first time.

It’s all so… indescribably wonderful.

“If only I could see Dusk’s face right now,” I wish as I stand in awe of Artemis’ work. I wipe away happy tears from my eyes as I continue to enjoy the display. “I bet he’s losing his astrology loving mind, and saying things like, ‘Oh my gosh oh my oh my gosh!!’ He's probably bouncing all around with his friends too...”

Hehe, yeah… that sounds just like him…

...

… A cynical part of me is now pointing out that it’s going to get pretty hard to sleep in the future with all these lights now up in the sky...

… I tell that part of me to shut the heck up.

“Wow,” comments a nearby pony. It’s hard to tell where that came from, as similar things are being said and shared between all the ponies around me. There are still the occasional dangerous sounding whispers dotted here or there, muttering things about not trusting the sight, but they're being soundly drowned in the sea of excited and cheerful voices. Good.

Despite this, I still make an effort to try to figure out who had just uttered their surprise so close to me. It sounded… a little familiar, so I’m curious. Rubbernecking about helps me locate this pony pretty breezily, as the speaker was actually sitting at the table right next to mine.

I call out to this pony as soon as I spot him.

“Lunardanseur?”

Startled that somepony had called his name, the yellowish grey coated unicorn quits his stargazing as he searches back and forth for the speaker. His mane, filled with dark purples and brilliant amaranth (and styled so similarly to Dusk’s own, I might add), bounces as he jerks his head my way and settles his eyes on my form. He adjusts his glasses briefly, making sure they are correctly settled…

… and then he frowns at me.

“I told you to call me Moonhoofer, Barbara.”

My cheeks light up thanks to this.

“Oops,” I stutter. “Sorry, Lun-, Moonhoofer. Old habits are hard to break, h-hehe…”

Moonhoofer continues to glare at me. I have a pretty good inkling as to why this is the case, and it’s not because I had just called him by his original name versus the one he gave himself upon getting his cutie mark.

It’s been awhile, but if you can recall way back to four days ago; I was set, with gift in hand, to go to a party being thrown by a former sitter of mine. That sitter, I said at the time, was Lunardanseur. That’s what he was called back when I was, like, three. His was the first complicated pony name I was able to properly pronounce, so it was difficult for me to let that go when he changed it. Again, old habits are hard to break. Being a sitter, and working the castle part-time, wasn’t Moonhoofer’s life calling though; the study of magic was, similarly to Dusk. The two were even classmates for a time, along with a few other unicorns, and as recent as last year they were still attending study sessions together. Sadly I don’t think Dusk ever noticed Moonhoofer always being closely nearby, but that didn’t stop the latter from inviting him to that party we…

… ultimately skipped out on.

Pretty sure that’s why he’s mad now.

“S-so,” I stammer out, trying to be friendly. I was the one who called out to him first, after all. “Sorry Dusk and I couldn’t make it to your party earlier.”

The stallion remains quiet.

I decide to keep talking. “W-we were totally going to go, I swear! But, well…”

“I doubt that,” Moonhoofer interrupts, propping his head up on the table with a hoof. “It was a long shot anyways. Should have known that he’d get distracted by a book or something.”

“That’s not true!” I retort loudly… only to immediately reconsider my words. “... Well okay it’s kinda true… but I was honestly about to come to your party, Moonhoofer! I had a gift ready for you and everything!”

A teddy bear, you may recall. It was tragically impaled by my tail. I didn’t have time to check out the state of the other gift I had put in there either; the picture fra-

“You don’t have to make stuff up, Barbara,” Moonhoofer cuts my thoughts off, continuing our conversation. “It’s fine that you guys didn’t come. It was a bust anyways…”

The unicorn then looks up from me, and scans the nearby crowd.

“... Where is Dusk, by the way? I don’t see him…”

“He's not here,” I answer, bringing his attention back to me. “And it's what I've been trying to tell you! We really were going to go to your party, Moonhoofer, but Dusk got ordered by the Prince to go to Ponyville instead!”

Moonhoofer cocks his head at this.

“Ponyville? Why? There’s nothing there but the Everfree.”

“And the Summer Sun Celebration!” I point out.

“Oh… I guess you’re right,” Moonhoofer concedes. “I heard that The Nightterror showed up there.”

“Yeah!” I reply, shaking my head. “And things got super crazy when it happened, but Dusk was able to handle it just fine!”

“Handle? What do you mean?”

I blink. Oh. Oops. Am I allowed to share the whole ‘Savior of Equestria’ thing with ponies outside of Ponyville yet? Gleam was going to tell her parents about it, so I guess family is okay... I probably should have asked the Prince about this before he left. Better play it safe for now.

“O-oh, you know,” I try to brush his question aside with a wave of my claws. I turn my head away, and try to hide my sweat. “I mean he didn’t scream or do an too stupid. That kind of handle.”

I think he bought it. “Oh. That makes sense.” Looks like he did. “... But if you’re here… Does that mean he’s still in Ponyville?”

I nod my head happily. “Yeah! Just like I said! We’re actually moving there if you can believe it!”

“... What?”

Pausing, I’m slightly startled by the tone in which Moonhoofer had asked this one word question with.

“Er… yeah?” I answer, unsure about that response. “The Prince wants him to study friendship over there.”

“F-friendship?”

Again I nod my head.

“Yeah. A lot has happened this week, Moonhoofer. You se- Hey where are you going?!”

“Home,” the stallion mutters lowly, the words hitching in his throat. In leaving his spot, he abandons a half eaten donut, a full cup of coffee, and even a book. He mutters as he exits as well, but thanks to all the other ponies chattering I can’t hear a thing. “I really wasn’t good enough to be his friend… or anypony else's…”

“Wait!” I cry out, trying to grab him one last time before he left. “Moon- Achoo!”

Damn it Solaris your timing is freaking impeccable.

Before I can say anymore a magically induced sneeze awkwardly cuts off my words, and releases a small stream of fire out of my nostrils. With the smell of brimstone now overtaking my senses, an object forms within the flames I had produced. On practiced instinct, I stretch out my claw and grab the dragonflame transported scroll out of the air before it can drop onto the ground. It bares the royal seal, and it’s addressed to me. This is obviously my answer to my earlier inquiry about our meeting.

That’s all I notice about it, though, as I spare the object only a single glance before returning my attention back towards the retreating Moonhoofer.

Too little too late. He's already long gone.

Though I don’t have proper ears, the fins on the side of my head produce a pony-like response by drooping to show my disappointment. Moonhoofer…

… is kind of a jerk, if I’m being honest.

And he’s self absorbed.

And he doesn’t really give a flying feather about anything else but his studies...

… In other words, he’s Dusk Shine 2.0.

But... I’ve grown to love Dusk over time, despite his quirks. I was willing to give him a chance because I always knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel for him. With Moonhoofer, I’m unfortunately not so sure; I don’t remember if his mare version ever made an appearance on the show. Because of this lack of insight, and because I've never seen him make any attempt at bettering himself, I never really knew if the light at the end of his tunnel was the shining beacon of character development... or a speeding train.

The result of this is that I've never invested too much time with him, but I still thought of him as a kinda sorta friend at least, just like the rest of Dusk’s classmates. I mean, hanging out every now and then is sort of what real Friendship is, right? It’s how it works on Earth at least...

… Maybe this is why Spike, and by extension me, are not the main characters on a show aimed at teaching friendship lessons. 'On today's episode of My Little Dragon, we'll learn the value of calling up your friend once every three years, talking for only ten minutes, and then never speaking to each other for another three years! Yaaayyy!'

Mine and Spike’s questionable role model worthiness aside; it’s not my job to worry about how Dusk’s move is going to affect the ponies he’s leaving behind. I have other things to worry about, like figuring out how I'm going to present the Discord episode to Prince Solaris later. Moonhoofer, Citrus Heart, Harpsy, and all those other dudes who used to ‘hangout’ with us aren’t important to the overall story. Dusk never considered them friends before anyways. They only joined him in study groups so they could get better grades, I bet. Acquaintances at best, and not really worth my time fussing over.

…

…

… Maybe I should find time to get Moonhoofer that gift at least. Just like with this donut shop visit, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to get another chance to do this again for awhile. Maybe I should even tell Dusk about how he reacted to the news of him moving? He might try to come back to Canterlot if I tell him though, so he can speak with him directly. With the show now starting, I’m not sure if it’s wise to distract him from all the lessons he’s about to learn. We really should just stick with the script... Which is hypocritical of me to even think about because I’m planning on completely dismantling season two’s premier before it can happen!

Boy this is getting confusing fast.

Bottom line; I need to be able to make the decision, on the fly, on whether whatever I’m going to do will be beneficial to the future or damaging. Even being concerned for a kinda friend will have far reaching consequences if it disrupts the show... But I won’t have the show forever to rely on either! I only have so many episodes still in my head anymore. Soooo... maybe I should get involved with this jerky Dusk look-a-like, and maybe I shouldn't do a gosh darn thing, or perhaps… Ugh! What to do what to do what to do...

…

… An object suddenly sparkles out of the corner of my eye.

Looking downwards, I spot a single Equestrian Bit laying by itself on the table Moonhoofer had just abandoned. Jumping across my table to the next, being mindful not to step on the 'Enchanted Objects Throughout History' book left behind, I pick up the common currency piece and consider it. One side has Solaris’ head on it, the other has his cutie mark. Due to its color and weight, it’s to be treated as the lowest amount of value a Bit can be; equaling only one of itself. Remembering that all payments are made up front at Pony Mary Joe Shoppe, and taking heart that this is most likely not some kind of tip, I grip the golden item in my claw and ponder it’s actual worth; the one it has to me in this moment.

“... This is stupid,” I spoke to myself, in reference to the idea now forming in my head. And yeah… it is…

... But...

"Both options seem viable," I frustratingly admit. "I-I can’t decide what I should or shouldn't do about this. I have a fifty fifty chance of my decision being the right one, and a fifty fifty chance it being the wrong one as well..."

Which is why I’m going to now leave Moonhoofer’s fate up to chance.

"Whichever god exists for real out there, please have mercy," I offer a small prayer, as I hold the unassuming coin aloft.

“... Heads,” I declare boldly. “And I’ll tell Dusk what happened here and leave it up to him.

“Tails,” I list in addition, balling up and applying pressure to the golden decider of destiny. “And I’ll seal my lips, and focus on the present. I’ve got more important things to worry about right now; I shouldn’t distract myself like this.”

The coin feels heavy in my grip.

My claw shakes.

... I take a deep breath to steady myself.

“Well… here goes…”

The Bit rests neatly on my thumbed claw, ready to fly.

“...something!” I finish, allowing Lady Luck to take the wheel from me.

Hopefully she's sober enough to drive.

~Flip~

Author's Notes:

Howdy howdy~

A quick shout out to Nopetrain for helping me with the gender-swapped names for a good number of characters. He also helped me brainstorm Prince 'Bolo' Bolero's personality a bit, which I greatly appreciate.

Another small note, as many may have noticed, Lunardanseur has been reintroduced as Moonhoofer. This was done so that it's a little more obvious which canon character he's based on. I also added a few things to his backstory here, in conjunction to what was already established, so that he better fits his counterpart's history.

I also retconned in the picture frame into Barb's gift for him in the same way the actual show retconned it for Spike's.

And this will be the only time I will ever use the dreaded RET word, I promise XD

'Till next time!

-Derply

Entry 3, Part 3 (Friendship is Magic Part 1 &...)

Under the light of Prince Artemis’ moon, I flipped a coin to decide the fate of an Equestrian bystander. I'm ashamed to admit that having the decision taken out of my claws was a liberating feeling at the time, as well as a childish one. Hindsight allows me now to see the truth that had escaped my grasp all those nights ago; the truth that I was not acting like a good friend by leaving Moonhoofer's fate up to chance. Jumping back and forth between following the script and forging my own future... the deviated events of the Summer Sun Celebration had completely shaken the confidence I once had in my decision making skills. I thought I could straddle the line between the two paths, but thus far I had only ended up falling flat on my face. Was it any surprise then, as I wallowed in my failure and second guessed myself, that I opted to go with the simpler option of letting a trinket decide the solution for me?

Again I will fully admit that it was a childish choice, but I've decided to stick with its outcome regardless. Only time will tell if this call was ultimately the right one.

Speaking of received answers; upon being granted one through my stolen Bit that night, I next turned my attention towards the scroll that had only moments prior arrived through my flame breath. It provided answers for me as well, specifically about when I could have my important meeting with Prince Solaris. Said talks were quite enlightening, and they certainly helped me sort myself out for the future, but I'm again getting ahead of myself.

A scheduled rendezvous had been set for the following afternoon, which was much closer than I had anticipated. Just as I had earlier assumed; Solaris was too busy to attend to me any further on the same day as his and his brother’s grand return. The fact that he even stepped aside in Ponyville, to confide in me privately, speaks volumes of the kind of trust he must have in me. I’m not entirely sure what I’ve done exactly to earn such an honor, but I hope to never lose it.

I was pretty content with having the meeting be so close to my actual arrival in Canterlot. It meant that I would not have to linger in the capital for too long, or that I would need to spend two nights away from Dusk. Only one night was necessary, but that discovery brought forth an interesting question; where was I to sleep? There was the option to sleep in my own bed back in the Spire, but without Dusk there I feared that the familiar place might have felt alien and lonely to me. A silly reason, I know, but I wanted a guaranteed good night's sleep so I took the time to explore my options. Another solution involved the castle. At times Dusk and I would borrow a room there, if a wayward project required more space than what his home could accommodate, but I decided against interrupting the Prince any further that day. I reckoned that it would have been rude to keep bugging him while he was trying to catch up with Artemis.

Other choices I had were to rent a room out at The Stable; one of Canterlot’s nicer Inns. Thanks to having a joint bank account with Dusk, I could easily afford it, because his family is actually loaded and because I get a small stipend for my assistance to the crown but I didn’t want to spend the bits on shelter so extravagant. Other hotels in the capital city were similarly expensive, so this same excuse applied to them as well. It was also highly likely that they were all booked that night as well, though I never really checked. The next option I thought of was to seek out Dusk's other old study mates and ask to crash on their couches, like a common college student. This plan didn't sit right with me at the time, however, so out the window the idea went. Asking them for help, after having just mentally filed them away as 'acquaintances at best', left me feeling rightfully guilty. Sure they treated me more like Dusk's dog than his assistant, but they were never mean to me either. Perhaps one day Dusk and I will make the effort to upgrade our relationships with the rest of the group to an honest friendship, but I'm just rambling at this point. Continuing; the last option available to me at the time was to break into Gleaming Shield's townhouse here in Canterlot.

It's not as bad as it sounds, I promise you.

Gleaming showed me long ago where she keeps her spare key to the place, and she has also assured me multiple times that I'm free to swing by whenever Dusk accidentally locks me out of the Spire. I'm sorry to report that such a scenario has happened multiple times in the past, thus facilitating such an offer. These days I have my own key to our old home, in order to prevent such nonsense from occurring again, Note to self; get a spare key for the Treehouse asap but I digress.

That night, the same as any other, Gleam's home was open to me; but it was a similar situation as to why I wasn't going home to the Spire. Simply put, I feared that the familiar home would feel foreign and alien to me without its resident nerd there to keep me company. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a child who needs somepony by her side in order to get a good night's sleep; but, after spending the first half of this life being unloved and alone in the Bluebelle's Estate, I'll now take all opportunities to not be by myself when I can. The loneliness can really get to you after awhile, and I fear that it has greatly influenced how I've redeveloped myself into the person I am today. I mean, I didn't play D&D any back on Earth, or spent nearly as much time in my own head as I do these days, but look at me now; I regularly play dungeon master with Gleam when she asks me too, and I'm writing a literal novel full of my innermost thoughts and feelings right now! I wonder if Gleam, or anypony else, would have ever become friends with my old self? With who I used to be?

Speaking of Gleam; it was through thinking about her home, and the pony herself, that the solution to my sleeping arrangement dilemma finally became crystal clear. There was a promise the captain had told Dusk she would do but, thanks to Prince Bolero’s forced vacation, she was now unable to follow through on. For the sake of completing the task, and for the sake of finding a comfortable place to rest, I vowed to finish my friend's ‘mission’ for her that night.

It was the least I could do for her. After all, what kind of assistant would I be if I didn’t help the ponies I care about pick up the slack every now and then?

Knock knock knock

“I’m coming!” chimed a feminine voice from the other side of the home's door. The sound of clipping and clopping against wooden floorboards fills my fin-ears as one of the two owners to the modest-sized estate approaches the entrance.

A light blue unicorn, with a solid dark azure mane, soon appears before me.

“Who could be stopping by at this hou- Oh hello, Barbara!” greets Dusk and Gleam’s mother, Eve Sparkle. The crescent moon cutie marked mare steps aside and grants me access to her abode. “Come in, come in!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Shine,” I bow my head politely, accepting the pony’s offer. Side note; House Shine received their name from Dusk’s Great (times four) Grandmother Shining Beacon. Eve Sparkle inherited the name through marriage, but chose to keep her cutie mark name instead.

… Pony naming conventions are weird, people. There’s no better way of describing it.

Once I cross the threshold and enter the house’s spacious entranceway, Eve calls out, “Honey! We have guests!”

From the next room over enters papa Dusk, aka Dusk Lyons. The burly stallion, similarly to Moonhoofer, is almost a complete clone of his son. Though a writer like myself, his physique is a bit better toned then mine ever was. The life of a thrill seeker will do that to a pony, I suppose. This helps set Dusk-prime apart from my Dusk quite well, as does his light grey coat and his light grey plus purple mane. The five-o'clock shadow is another great divider, and the main reason why I force Dusk to shave his stubble every, single, morning.

… I’m not controlling, really! It’s just specifically stated in my job description that I'm to make sure Dusk doesn’t do anything stupid…

…

… Stop judging me!

“Ah! Good evening, Barbara!” welcomes Mr. Shine in good cheer, chortling loudly. “What a pleasant surprise! Hope you and my son weren’t too scared by that whole 'eternal' night nonsense!”

Eve nods her head in agreement, commenting, “Oh yes! That was quite frightening! Gleaming told us that you two went to Ponyville, is that right? We haven’t heard from her since she told us that though…”

“... Dear?” Dusk Lyons abruptly asks his wife. “Didn’t you say we had guests? I only see one…”

A look of realization dawns on Eve's face.

“You’re right!” she answers, now sticking her head outside the door and looking around. “I had just assumed… Are you all by yourself, Barbara?”

“Yeah, Barbara,” Mr. Shine adds in, before asking the question on both his and his partner’s minds. “Where’s your ‘shadow’? I hardly ever see you without my boy by your side!”

Upon receiving this question, I nervously rub the back of my leg with a clawed foot. I was ready for this; Gleaming had told Dusk that she was going to tell their folks about what had happened during the Summer Sun Celebration, back when we were in Ponyville. It’s clear she forgot all about that promise once her crush entered the picture, so I’ve chosen to take on the herculean undertaking of filling them in myself.

“T-that’s actually a funny story,” I begin to retell the tale.

I’m sure these two will be able to handle the news of Dusk’s world saving exploits like the couple of mature, levelheaded adults that they are.

Upon reflection, talking to Dusk’s parents was not my best idea of that day.

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Dear, no.”

“I’m going to run my horn through his heart.”

“Dear, that kills ponies.”

“That’s just what I’m going to do though.”

“Dear...”

“Then I’ll bury the body in the backyard.”

“Dear...”

“And then Gleaming will join him for keeping this from us!”

“She was busy with work, dear.”

“Too busy to write? No… I’m just going to have to kill them both!”

“Dear, that’s illegal.”

“WELL THEY’RE TOO OLD TO GROUND, SO WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO, HONEYBUN?!”

“Breathe in, breathe out, Eve,” soothes Eve’s husband. Dusk Lyons runs a hoof calmly across his wife’s withers as she begins to hyperventilate.

I take a single step backwards towards the exit.

Once everypony had settled down, Eve apologized for her theatrics and the rest of the night’s conversations went pretty smoothly. I gave the parents the majority of my remaining photos too, and we bonded a little over my descriptions of Dusk’s new friends.

Mr. and Mrs. Shine aren’t really that close with me, and I’m certainly not considered apart of the family, but that night I felt that we grew a little bit closer thanks to our mutual love of Dusk Shine. It was because of this closeness that I was invited to have dinner with them, and I was allowed to break out the spare sleeping basket for the night. I’m certain that my actions were not the deciding factor, and that they would have let me sleep there regardless, but having them actually offer it to me was certainly a pleasant surprise. I slept peacefully that night, having been worn quite thoroughly out over the course of the hectic day.

The following morning started out, simple enough, with pancakes. Dusk Lyons' pancakes, to be precise; which comes with the thickest hay-bacon strips imaginable and a side of scrambled eggs to round it all up. Once my cholesterol was nicely spiked into the stratosphere, I decided to blow the hours I would have spent waiting around until the start of my meeting to instead help Mr. and Mrs. Shine out with a few chores around the house. I also aided in providing an extra set of claws for Eve’s grocery shopping run. Being Dusk’s parents, those two were the true holders to the Title of Ownership that binds me to their family, but this fact didn’t influence my decision to assist them that day. I figured that it was the least I could do for the room and food they gave me, that’s all. What can I say? I like to return kindness with kindness. Dusk once said that this quirk of mine might be due to a kind of honor code ponies hypothesize dragons have, called ‘The Dragon Code’, but I know that the real reason is that it’s just a part of my soul’s nature. It’s comforting to know that this important aspect of my original self still burns brightly after all these years.

Getting off topic here; nothing really exciting happened during the first part of my day only one thing of interest happened to me during the first half of my day, and it was when I crossed paths with one of the few ponies on this planet that I actually truly hate.

“... I’m telling you that this has to be a trick; a farce orchestrated by the griffons, or the yaks!” yells out Princess Bluebelle upon her literal soapbox. She’s standing high above the common folk, as she often loves to do, as she screams nonsense to anypony willing to listen. “They have forced the Prince, my uncle, into relinquishing his powers to them! The blue alicorn is a hoax, fillies and gentlecolts! A hoax made to trick us into thinking that the power of the alicorns can be shared! Well it can not, my fellow ponies! I know this to be true; I asked Uncle Solaris myself! He was only able to ascend Prince Mi Amore Bolero under special circumstances! The lack of wings upon his nieces' back, my back, is proof enough that the task is impossible!”

“Yeah, cause that’s the only reason imaginable,” I mutter under my breath as I watch this in the distance. I’m standing off to the side, with my draconic strength being used to carry a mountain of grocery bags, while Eve Sparkle takes a small break to double check her long list. It saddens me greatly that a small gathering of ponies is hanging on to every little word this blowhard is spouting, and it angers me that they are nodding their heads as well, but I’m pretty confident in stating that nopony will actually care about this non-alicorn Princess' words for more than an hour. Why am I so confident in this assessment, you may ask? Well Bluebelle's special talent is represented by a rose compass, you see. She points ponies in the ‘right’ direction; she doesn’t lead them.

While I was growing up again on her estate, I saw this distinction made clear time and time again.

“Hmmm… aha!” cheers Eve, knocking me out of my thoughts. “I need blueberries next! We can get those at the marketplace down the road... Come along, Barbara.”

“Coming,” I respond, tightening the grip on my cargo as I follow close behind. Right before we pass by Bluebelle, a wickedly evil idea enters my mind.

She’s not the only girl who can fearmonger, after all~

Thusly with plan in mind, and upon singling out a single distracted onlooker with my eyes; I pass between the rude speaker and the entranced listener and quietly comment in a disguised voice, “She’s just jealous of her uncle spending more time with her other uncle than her.”

Without looking back, I can tell that my planted seed is taking root. Soon, after a brief pause on her part, the Princess swiftly demands to know which pony had just made such a baseless claim, while the other party asks loudly, “Wait, you do have another uncle?!”

The discussion then devolves from there into a screaming contest between the noble pony and the commoners.

I, meanwhile, devolve into a laughing mess.

This confuses Eve greatly.

Helping Dusk’s mother proved to be an excellent time waster, because before I knew it the time for my meeting had arrived.

I gave Mr. and Mrs. Shine farewell before departing, and I assured them both that I would keep them posted on their son’s progress in friendship making on a regular basis. The promise was easy for me to make, since I possess dragonfire sending seals for them and, in turn, they’re able to send scrolls to me as well thanks to the seals Solaris provided for them long ago. Speaking with them in person will also be an option as well, as I will be returning to Canterlot on a monthly basis going forward. I will be doing this in order to give the Prince detailed observation reports on Dusk’s growth as well. This was decided towards the end of

I’m getting ahead of myself. The meeting I had with Prince Solaris went over quite a few different subjects and scenarios, so it would be better if I just shared, word for word, how it all went down. The first important detail comes from the actual locations where our talks took place, as we didn’t limit ourselves to just one spot. Sure we convened at a specified landmark, but we also traveled while we talked. There was a reason why we did such a thing, but first allow me to start from the beginning.

It all started when I found myself standing mere inches away from a special statue.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“... Heh, you blinked.”

“...”

… That was a lie.

The statue hadn’t blinked. I did.

Bad dragon girl. Don’t lie.

...

… Sorry, but I’m bored.

Real bored.

Solaris is late. I’ve doubled checked the sundial a little ways away, and I’ve doubled checked the location specified on the scroll he sent me yesterday; I have the right time, and I have the right place.

Said time was ten minutes ago.

Said place is right in front of the dragonequus statue in the castle’s garden.

Seems like the perfect place to talk about a chaos demon, wouldn’t you agree?

The female version of Discord is just as mismatched and funny looking as the original ever was; at least from what I can still remember. The different assortment of random animal parts and colors is still present, as is the original frozen stance (closed eyes, arm and mouth raised towards the sky). About the only differences I can spot is that her muzzle is quite a bit shorter and her mane is certainly a bit longer. Maybe her body is more slender too, but I can’t tell for certain with my foggy memories.

Her statue stands alone in the garden, having been separated from all the rest by several paved walkways and strategically placed flower patches. The hedge maze is her only companion, but on the plus side she is within viewing distance from Prince Solaris’ personal bedchambers. That must have been planned; this set up would allow the alicorn to keep a close eye on this stoned creature without the aid of his telescope. A quick glance would be all that be needed to assure that she’s still here. Visitors to these gardens are also able to spot this unique monster from any given point too, as she stands so much taller then everything else here. Travelers through the hedge maze can even use her as a visual clue to reorient themselves from within, at least towards the southern side.

Travelers through the garden, meanwhile, are able to learn more about her by simply approaching the base of the statue. There is a plaque here, which states exactly who she used to be and what she once horrifically did to ponykind. Since I had nothing better to do while I was waiting, I took the time to read this information and internalize who Discord is in this version of Equestria. To start, her name here is actually E-

“My apologies for my tardiness, Barb.”

SWEET NAMA JAMA

Jumping in place, having been taken completely by surprise, I fall roughly on my tail with a squeak. Embarrassed, my cheeks burn hot as I lift myself back up and turn to greet the pony I had been waiting on. There hadn't been any trotting noises, no sound of magical teleportation, and not a trace of wings beating at all... How in the blue blazes is a pony Solaris’ size so freaky stealthy?!

Unable to help himself, the Prince of the Sun raises a hoof to his lips and tries to hide the cheeky grin now adorning it. He chuckles before addressing me, the jerk.

“A-again my apologies,” Solaris snorts, clearly not sorry. “It was not my intention to frighten you so,” speaks the liar. “And it was not my intention to be so late. An argument came up between my brother and I and… Well, it’s a long story.”

“It’s fine,” I lie too, trying not to pout. “I wasn’t waiting long at all.”

“Well that is quite a relief,” he responds cheerfully, closing his eyes and smiling even wider. As he lowers his hoof back towards the ground, my sight lingers on the stallion's face for a time.

Specifically on his right eye.

I consider it for a moment before turning away.

“How… How are you feeling, Prince Solaris?” I ask the pony; the wilting fins on the side of my head unwillingly reflecting my inner emotions.

“Better,” the Prince answers for me softly. He then lowers himself onto his knees, so that we are forced to look one another eye to eye; as equals. “Much better. You needn't worry about an old stallion like me, my friend. Though I do greatly appreciate your concern.”

This perks me up a little bit, and helps to ease my fears.

“... Isn’t that illusion spell still draining you though?” I next inquire, noticing that I once again can’t tell any difference between his working eye and his damaged one. For the second time, Solaris laughs lightly; probably finding humor in how a creature as small as me is dotting over somepony as large as him.

“That will no longer be a problem,” he explains happily, again beaming in a pleasant manner. He then lightly taps the right side of his head…

… which causes his right eye to spin slightly in place.

“The types of illusions one can produce through simple stage makeup, and a little glass ball, ca be even grander than the kinds created through spells,” the Prince shares with me, before using his magic to gently push the fake eye back into its proper place. It moves in tandem with his working one, perhaps through an enchantment? “That is a lesson worth learning, Barb, for terrifying deceptions can be created just as easily through the use of even simpler materials… such as words.”

“I’ll… try to keep that in mind,” I respond, not entirely sure what he’s referring too.

“That would please me,” Solaris nods. Rising, the Prince directs his attention towards the statue before us, though his words are clearly still meant for me. “Now then... I do believe that the two of us have matters most dire to discuss today.”

Standing beside the larger pony, with my body reaching up barely past the top of his golden horseshoe’s guard, I nod my head in turn and draw my own attention towards the petrified being as well. “Right,” I confirm. “We need to talk about this one here. Er-”

Before I can complete the fiend's title, Solaris cuts me off with the utterance of a single name.

A name I never dreamed that I would hear uttered here one day.

“Discord, The Lord of Chaos.”

...

… Huh?

Twisting my head skywards towards my big friend, I raise an eyebrow over his sudden, and confusing, declaration. When I see no response forthcoming from him for his words, I turn my head instead back towards the statue and reread the name printed for my own benefit.

It states, plainly and clearly; ‘Eris, The Dame of Disorder’.

...

… Again... huh??

“Wha?” I ask out loud, as my mind slowly turns to mush. I lift my head back up towards Solaris'.

This time, he shoots a smile back my way.

“... Let’s continue this conversation inside the maze, dear,” the alicorn suggests, now placing my braindead-self on his back with the aid of golden magic. He continues speaking as he carries me inside the hedges. “It’s much more private this way, and there’s a special spot I like to relax in within its center.”

“O-okay,” I stammer out numbly, as I spare the statue of Eris(?) one last glance before we depart. The smell of smoke fills my nostrils as my brain pushes itself into overdrive, in order to complete the simple task of deciphering whatever the hell is going on right now!

Before I'm given the opportunity to decipher this riddle any further, Solaris again interrupts me by setting me back down. He has already masterfully navigated the maze in my distracted state, and we are now sitting inside a rather nicely hidden gazebo. There’s no chance of anypony randomly walking in on us in here, and no chance that a wayward pegasus could spot us either; the roof of the structure is partially buried into the hedge itself, so we’re perfectly camouflaged. There are no chairs or tables inside this thing either, to note. Instead there's a pile of nice looking pillows… This is the extent of my observation though, for I was soon shaken from my daze by the appearance of a magical floating teacup.

Can’t have a good, dramatic conversation with Solaris without a cup of tea, I guess.

“I’m afraid I only have basic earl grey today,” explains my princely friend, as I take the floating cup within my claws and hold it still enough to be filled. Once this small task is complete, an even smaller burst of magic from Solaris causes the steaming tea kettle to disappear completely. “It’s all I have left to offer at the moment. I may have… ahem… gotten a tiny bit carried away with sharing my collection with Artemis last night. So many new flavors had been created in his absence, you see, s-so I wanted him to experience as much of them as he could…” The Prince then blushes, and looks away. “A bit foolish, I know, but I want to spend time with him however I can; to make up for the time that has been irreversibly lost to us already...”

“It’s… fine,” I reply honestly. I don’t think I have the mental capacity at the moment to even form an opinion on this; my brain is still too full of buck. Upon metaphorically kicking the hamster in my head into running on his wheel again, I’m finally able to push two brain cells together long enough to form an intelligent question.

“Sir, did... d-did you say Discord? But… b-but the statue's sign say-”

“The statue lies, Barbara.”

I’m taken aback, and at a loss for words.

Solaris smoothly takes a sip of his drink before continuing.

“The statue’s plaque was created by the ponies he tortured,” the Prince reveals for me, spitefully emphasizing the male pronoun he uses to describe Discord with. “They only knew him by the destruction he brought forth, and by the mental scars he left on us all.

“... But you know the secret behind the statue, don’t you, Barb? I assume your Sight revealed it for you?”

Unable to speak, too focused on his words, I nod my head ‘yes’ without hesitation.

“And you know that it is not only a warning for future generations, and a reminder of our history, but also a prison, yes?”

Again I nod ‘yes’. I don't want a repeat of the Summer Sun Celebration; I don't want to give this world even the slightest chance to play around with Discord's introduction like it did with Nightterror Nebula's. So, if I want to do anything proactive about this oversized lawn ornament, I need to be as honest as I can be right now; with secrets kept to a minimum.

“Then you know that the Elements of Harmony froze him thousands of years ago,” Solaris resumes, confirming for himself that we’re currently on the same page. “Wielded by my brother and I, we blasted the creature when he was distracted and doomed him to the form you see now.”

Doomed him to the form...

... Okay… as impossible as this is going to sound… I’m now even more confused than when we started!!

“You turned him into a she?!” I ask hysterically, too flabbergasted to say or think anything else.

Solaris shakes his head ‘no’.

Oh thank goodness.

“That is incorrect, Barb," he sets me straight. "We did not transform him into the form of ‘Eris’ you see now.

"No... Instead, he in fact did the deed to himself... willingly.”

“... Wha?” is my highly educated, thought provoking retort.

In a move not in line with how he usually acts, Solaris refrains from laughing at my clear further confusion. “It’s true,” the pony nods, taking another swig from his cup. “When Artemis and I first met the fiendish draconequus, he was a ‘he’ originally. He went by the name of Discord, and he despised the harmony ponykind had gained since the founding of Equestria. You must understand, disharmony is what he craves above all else! So, his reaction to having two Princes be his opponents was to, well, be… different.”

At first this sounded like nothing but gibberish to me…

… but then it clicks for me in perfect clarity.

“He created chaos... by being your complete opposite?!” I state, finishing the Prince’s insane thoughts for him.

“Exactly,” he confirms, clearly happy that I came to the conclusion myself. “He hated the idea of us being on any sort of equal level, so he snapped his fingers and became the form that he is today. ‘Eris’ was the name he took on afterwards, and proceeded to try to strike fear into the hearts of ponies with it... But I refuse to acknowledge his horrid display to this day,” Solaris sneers, giving his tea cup a nasty look. “To so callously warp one’s form on a whim, heedless of the meaning or consequences behind such a change... the act spits in the face of those who suffered greatly just to achieve the same.”

I... I...

...

“... Wow,” I utter lowly, completely caught off guard by this revelation. Discord started as a guy here? Well… that...

... that kinda makes sense, in a sick sort of way. If this world is ‘harmoniously’ a flipped version of the show’s world, then it would stand to reason that a creature of pure disharmony would stay the same out of principle… Or maybe he actually started as Eris in the show and did a similar transformation to annoy Celestia and Luna?

Now that is an interesting development to ponder on later.

... Right now, though, I’m more concerned about Solaris’ interesting response to this reveal.

“It sounds like it hurt you… personally, Solaris,” I point out, not sure what to think; wanting to learn more.

With a sigh, the pony in question turns away from his tea.

“In a way… yes, and no,” he answers cryptically, as is his normal M.O. “I... have lived a long, long time, Barb. Throughout the course of this unnaturally long life, I have had the great pleasure of meeting creatures from all walks and trots of life... And I have seen pain take on many different forms in that time. Pain of the heart, pain of the mind, pain of the flesh and even pain of the soul. Pain is felt differently for each of us, little one, and there are times where it can become unbearable.

"Although pain defines us, and helps us grow stronger; there are times when I wish I could simply just light up my horn, craft a spell, and make my subject's pain go far, far away... But I’m sadly no miracle worker. Never in my long rule have I made such a false claim.

"This pain though, the kind one feels when they are unable to shine out as well as they know they can; where they feel as though they are trapped in a mismatched cage of their meat and bones…”

As his words reach their zenith in speed and intensity, Solaris releases his sudden worked up energy by sighing deeply and loudly.

“... I can only dare to imagine what such a pain must feel like, Barb.”

...

“... Yeah...” I utter lowly after a time, only to then look down at my claws in silent contemplation.

The ghostly image of human fingers flashes briefly across their features in my mind’s eye.

"... I can only dare to imagine,” I repeat wistfully.

“I pride myself on being empathetic towards my subjects, dear,” the Prince resumes, regaining my attention. “And though I feel that I have failed in this goal time and time again, I still at least make the effort to understand. That is why I refuse to refer to that beast as anything less than the selfish monster he is; Discord, the Lord of Chaos...

“... This brings about an interesting question though, Barbara. One that I would much like to direct towards you, if I may.”

Huh?

“Um… sure?” I offer, surprised by this request. I take a sip of my earl grey before giving the Prince the okay. “G-go ahead.”

Prince Solaris pauses, to gather his thoughts.

I take a second sip of my tea, and ready myself.

“Barbara,” he starts as I drink. “I was under the impression that you already knew about Discord’s true nature from your Sight. My visions have shown that his return will consist of him retaining his female form, so I must ask...

“...why did you refer to him as his proper title of ‘Lord’ back in Ponyville?”

YOU KNOW WHAT, I JUST DISCOVERED THAT THIS TEA IS INCREDIBLY HOT

I ALSO DISCOVERED THAT IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD ON SOLARIS’ FACE

“I am so, soooo sorry!” I cry out, as I hastily grab a handkerchief from my purse and try to wipe down the results of my spit-take from the Prince’s muzzle. “That was a complete accident, I swear!”

“T-think nothing of it,” my drenched friend retorts, laughing as he uses a casual spell to easily clean himself off. “It seems to happen surprisingly often during tea parties I hold! Haha!”

Gee, I can’t imagine why that is; you manipulative jerk...

Vile internal thoughts aside, the Prince continues on as he locks his serious gaze back on me. “My question still stands, Barbara. How did you know that Eris is truly a Lord, and not a Dame as she is commonly depicted?”

With newfound panicked focus, I think back to my words from yesterday…

… and realize that yes; I did refer to him as the ‘Lord of Chaos’ that day! Crap crap crap! I-I was so caught up in the moment at the time, and had so little knowledge about Eris, that I completely forgot to genderflip my words! Rookie slip-up, you dingus! What to do what to do what to do… “A-any chance that you’ll take ‘it was a mistake’ as an answer, s-sir?”

“Hehe. Perhaps before the tea assault, Barb, but certainly not now.”

Rats.

“Barbara,” the Prince chimes once more, drawing my shaking gaze towards him. “Please don’t interpret my prying as a way to undermine you in any form. I simply wish to understand you and your gift a little better, that’s all! The power of a Seer manifests in many different ways, you see.”

“I-it does?” I ask, now trying to buy enough time to think of away out of this mess.

Solaris complies, and elaborates. “Yes, it does. My own Sight is sporadic, and it bounces between images of the far off future, and images from elsewhere in the present. I lack control over it, but that seems to be a constant between all Seers I’ve met... And I have met many other Seers over the course of my life, my friend, so believe me when I say that the form your abilities have taken will not surprise me in the slightest!

“I’ve met stallions able to peer into the past through the eyes of others’ ancestors, griffons able to the see the future in flashes of twenty seconds every hour, on the hour, and mares who saw chunks of what's to come, in segments of twenty minutes or more!”

My eyes widen at this, though I say nothing.

That sounds very familiar. Maybe I can make this work...

“There was even this sweet young pony,” the Prince goes on, speaking nostalgically, “named Brilliant Padparadscha, who was gifted with the power of immediate hindsight instead of future vision. Such a thing would drive a lesser pony like me insane, I fear. How that dear stayed so peppy and hopeful is anyponies’ guess…”

“... Have,” I start to question, taking advantage of the slight pause I was granted. “H-have you ever met a Seer who looked at… parallel universes, your majesty?”

Now it’s Solaris’ turn to raise an eyebrow.

Sweat drips from my forehead, but I feel that this might be the best chance I have to not tell him the full story. My biggest fear right now is that this snowballs out of control and I end up having to tell him about the reincarnation thing. I still don’t want to tell him, or anyone else, about that yet. My relationship with Solaris may have changed greatly over the course of this week, but I’m not ready to share a secret so personal with him. I don’t want my friends to think I’ve been lying to them for so long, and I don’t want them to treat me differently as well. Call it paranoia, but I’m fine with just being plain, old, ‘future seeing’ Barbara for now… Maybe my future conversation with Elusive, about his true nature, will convince me otherwise... but one thing at a time for now. Lets focus on the present.

And presently, I think it’s time to begrudgingly show a little bit more of my secret hand.

“Parallel universes?” Solaris tries to clarify, successfully returning me to the conversation. “Why… yes, in fact. An older Seer I once knew could gaze into a world where my coat is pink! Hah! Could you imagine such a silly thing?”

“M-more than you think,” I share, still sweating. How do I go about this with a semblance of tact? Do I share a tiny bit, or the whole thing? What to do what to do what to do… Do I still have that coin? I could flip that real quick...

Thankfully the Prince saves me before I'm forced to childishly resort to lady luck's grace yet again. “Perhaps you would like to first hear my own take on the events yet to come?” he offers kindly, having obviously sensed my distress. "Please just allow me a second to gather my thoughts. It was a number of years since I last saw it, after all..."

The stallion then proceeds to close his eyes, and meditate.

I watch quietly and closely, and my lips remain sealed as he re-opens his eyes and begins to speak once again.

“I… saw chaos, child; within an old moment of Sight.

“I saw roads of soap, and buildings made of chocolate.

“I saw ponies twisted and turned grey, made parodies of themselves.

“I saw dancing pane glass windows, and six determined stallions standing before it…

“... That is all I’ve seen of the events that will transpire... Does any of that sound familiar, my friend?”

It certainly does.

If I ever needed proof that this guy isn’t just blowing smoke about the whole ‘future vision’ thing, I guess this would be it. It’s certainly a lot less than I thought it would be, though maybe that’s for the best? I’m already being driven crazy over what little I personally know about the future! Simply playing along with the show has been exhausting, and now I’m unsure if that's even the right path for me to follow! Dusk almost got hurt, and he almost got hurt in a way that wasn’t in the show. And… Solaris did get hurt…

I don’t want anypony else to get hurt.

...

… Barbara, I'm again going to call you a dingus.

That’s the whole reason you’re even here, dummy!

You told yourself… whoops. Accidental third person. I mean I told myself a minute ago that honesty was going to be the key to changing the future, yet I'm still hesitating. Keeping the reincarnation stuff to myself is fine, but the time to start really making a difference is now!

And there’s only one way to accomplish that effectively; by telling the truth.

“It sure does, Solaris,” I parrot my earlier thoughts, reassuring my friend that our ‘visions’ do in fact match up. “I saw the same exact thing… But I also saw so, much, more.”

"..."

... The left side of the Solaris' lips curl upwards thanks to this, producing a unprincelike cocky grin.

“Really?" the alicorn practically purrs. "Are you willing to share your vision with me now, by dear little friend?”

I allow his moment of pure satisfaction to pass by uninterrupted as, with a single shake of my head, I give Solaris my resounding answer of, “Yes, I am... Just a heads up though, my Prince; remember when I asked about parallel universes?”

“Indeed… Why?”

Guess it’s now or never.

I titter nervously. “W-well… I did see Discord’s return, and I did see ponies standing up to him… but it wasn’t Dusk who stood up to them in my ‘Sight’.”

The Prince blinks blankly thanks to this.

“No? But then, wh-”

“I also did see him too, at the same time,” I cut him off, taking a little bit of sick joy in stealing the role of ‘trickster’ away from the King of the loaded conversation.

Clearly not used to the tables being turned on him, the pony plainly states, “I-I don’t follow, Barb.”

I giggle at this. “I don’t imagine you would, sir. In order to understand my visions, you gotta understand that they do not follow the adventures of Dusk Shine; personal protege of Prince Solaris.

“Instead... they follow Twilight Sparkle, personal protege of Princess Celestia!”

Silence now reins between the two of us as the second, and most certainly not the last, bomb of this meeting drops.

“... But… There isn’t a princess by that name, Barbara,” Solaris eventually answers, clearly very confused.

“Yep,” I reply, taking a sip of my now cooling tea.

“And… there isn’t a pony I know by the name of Twilight Sparkle. At least, not in Canterlot or Ponyville.”

“Yep.”

“Yet... you’re saying that they play a major role in combating Discord? Not… Eris?”

“Eeyup,” I chortle, channeling my inner Red Gala.

“... I imagine that only Element users could stand up to his powers,” the gears in the alicorn’s mind churn, slowly bringing him to the answer. “With all the current Element’s taken, it wouldn’t make sense that there would be another… And you mentioned parallel universes… But also Twilight Sparkle is clearly a mare’s nam-”

The ponies’ pupil of his one working eye suddenly shrinks into the tiniest little needlepoint ever.

An equally tiny gasp of “Oh,” escapes his lips soon after.

A toothy smile from me is Solaris' only reward…

… Well, that... and the shattered remains of his mind! Hah! The score is now One to One, my cryptic friend!

“Yep,” I repeat one last time, relishing every second of this beautiful moment.

“You’re… y-your vision is quite… unique, Barb,” Solaris stutters out, after having taken a second to recompose himself. “I can only imagine how disorienting such a Sight could be…”

“For reference; my name is ‘Spike’ over there, sir,” I laugh loudly. “Disorienting doesn’t even begin to describe how messy things have been to keep straight in my head!”

“Indeed!” my pony companion laughs too in response, joining in the ‘joke’ that is my life. “A whole world where the sexes have flipped? Incredible… though, from the sound of it, Discord remains a constant... Or perhaps he was truly a she over there… Maybe the monster’s mere presence tips the balance of sexes from one side to the other… There is a lot to take in from this revelation,” the stallion admits, as he rubs his beard intensely. “Take heart that I will be more than happy to help you in the task of sorting things out.

“That said… I must now ask you a vital question on this subject, Barb.”

My heart drops at this.

So much for my moment on top.

“Y-yes?” I respond, bracing myself for the coming attack.

“Barbara,” Prince Solaris says boomingly, drawing his wings out and raising them as high as this gazebo will allow him to do so. “In this other realm, where things are so similar but also different; allow me to ask this simply and clearly...”

I hold my breath.

“... Is Princess Celestia my mare double?”

“Y… y-yes?” I answer fearfully, unsure of the point of the question.

“Hm. I see,” Solaris nods his head in understanding. “... Then I have one final question for you. Answer this with all the truthfulness and honesty your heart possesses, dragon… In this parallel Equestria...

“... am I a pretty girl?”

For the second time today, silence reigns supreme.

Under its rule, I can only stare mutely.

“... Yes, Solaris,” I deadpan, as all the tension disappears from my body. “You are the prettiest princess in all the land. You have a flowing rainbow mane and everything.”

Solaris lowers his wings at this. Though his features conveys a sense of dead seriousness, the red tint now adorning his cheeks shatters this poker face completely.

“G-good,” the Prince utters with an awkward cough. “Then I feel that all is right in the universe...”

Author's Notes:

Chapter has been split in two due to length concerns, though this will not be the norm. To those reading this as it comes out, the next part will be posted within 24hrs! See you then!

Entry 3, End (Friendship is Magic Part 2)

“... Goodness you were right! You did see quite a bit more than me!”

“Hehe. Don’t get too jealous now, your majesty!”

“Hah! Perish the thought! From personal experience, my dear; less is more.”

“If you say so,” I chuckle right back, before downing the last few drops of tea from my now empty cup. The talks thus far have made me very parched.

This is understandable. I had just finished sharing the entirety of Discord’s two episodes with Prince Solaris, after all. No event was too small and no detail was left unmentioned; the CMC's role, the chocolate rain skies, the summons to Canterlot, the stolen Elements, the hedge maze disaster, the opposite ponies, the Spike abuse, the triumphant return, and the victorious re-stoning... I covered EVERYTHING. Though certain parts are still a little fuzzy to me after all these years, I think I went over most of the major stuff.

Solaris was thankfully a good listener during this. Outside of a few small comments, or a tiny inquiry concerning which mare was which stallion, he’s remained mostly quiet. He's allowed me to share my tale unhampered.

Now... it’s time for the all important question.

“What do we do now?”

I addressed these words directly towards the Prince, and I did so seriously and without my earlier good mirth. Its been fun to get at least this much off my chest, and I can't wait to share the stuff about the wedding and the Crystal Empire later, but it will all be for naught if we don't now act on this heads up!

This will ultimately come down to Solaris, however. He is the Prince after all, and the only one between us able to do anything productive about this situation.

With a small hum to himself, the stallion in question meditates privately on the decision now laid out before him.

“... Now?” he eventually repeats, causing me to unabashedly lean closer towards him in anticipation. “Hmmm… Well…”

… TwinkleTwinkleTwinkle

Before I can react, I find myself once again unceremoniously lifted off the ground with the aid of golden magic, and just as swiftly deposited onto the Prince's awaiting back.

“... Now I feel that a change of scenery is in order!” Solaris snickers in amusement as he magics away our used cups and pillows.

“What?” I remark as the Prince begins the task of exiting the maze. I grip the back of his short mane as well in this time, so I won’t slide off. “Why?” I ask too, successfully using two fifths of the five major W’s in a single breath. “I-I don’t think we should be talking about these kinds of things out in the open…”

“And we won’t,” Solaris reassures me with only the slightest tilting of his head. “It's just that I'd rather we continue things inside the castle, Barbara. The weather ponies have scheduled a light rain shower for today, you see, and if those gathering clouds in the distance are any indication... I fear we are fast approaching the storm!”

“Oh,” I concur as we leave the maze and travel across the now darkening gardens. “I guess that makes sense... Are we heading towards your room then?”

With a slight halt to consider the feminine statue of Discord as we pass it by, the Prince shakes his head. “No, I fear that the old place is rather occupied at the moment. Artemis' room is still being constructed, so he's currently using mine... But have no fear! There are halls within this castle that have not been touched in years! I give you my word that we will be fine. There is a place I’d like to show you as well… That and I’d also like to stretch my legs a little, if I may. I don’t get many opportunities to simply walk about these days! Haha!”

I try to argue this, having not been fully convinced yet about this plan. “Bu-”

“I suppose I could also teleport us to this destination instead, if you feel that we are now pressed for time,” Solaris interrupts me to add. “Though I felt that I was being considerate to you by not simply casting the spell right now. I still remember quite vividly how Dusk’s first disastrous attempt at it went all those years ag-”

“Walking is fine,” I cut in, blushing hard. “Walking is suuuuper fine, yup yup!”

Ahem... If I may...

... Buck teleporting.

Buck it hard.

Quick background for the less informed; Dusk’s first attempt at the spell involved using me as a test subject. It was not as fun as I imagined it would be. I still remember feeling unbearably hot during the process, and I came out the other side with a migraine, an upset stomach, and covered head to toe in sticky black stuff.

Said stuff was not easy to get out of scales, let me tell you.

With these thoughts in mind, I remain quiet as we cross the gardens together uninterrupted. The sound of crunching grass beneath us fills me with an empowering feeling of calm, and a rare moment of normalcy. The sharp, pungent aroma of ozone graces my nostrils as well in this time, and aids me a little in taking my mind off of the now slowly growing sense of anxiety welling up inside me...

“... I understand that Captain Gleaming Shield has taken a vacation?” suddenly interjects Prince Solaris, during the momentary bout of silence that had formed between us.

Catching the hint, I respond, “Y-yeah." I guess this will be a safe enough topic as any to pass the time with for now. Hopefully it'll be distracting enough to tide me over for a couple minutes at least. "That’s certainly what I wrote in your letter last night… You’re not mad that she did that out of the blue, are you?”

“Goodness no!” the alicorn insists as we now enter the castle's doors. “That filly has more than earned a little R&R! That goes double for my nephew as well; I’m so proud that he stepped up for Equestria in her darkest hour!”

At the mentioning of the Prince of Love, my mind quickly imagines a scenario where Bolo is sitting lazily on his throne, playing matchmaker with everpony that approaches him while Canterlot burns to the ground in the background.

This image causes me to chuckle under my breath.

“Hm? What’s so funny, Barb?”

“N-nothing,” I whistle innocently. Speaking honestly, I add that, “I wasn’t here for his short rule, but I’m sure Prince Bolero followed your instructions to the letter!”

There’s a momentary pause.

“... Instructions?” Solaris asks, tilting his head so he can better see me on his back.

“Well… yeah?” I ask right back, equally confused. Taking a second to make sure it was safe to talk about more sensitive things, I whisper, “You know? The instructions for the Summer Sun Celebration? You guys knew The Nightterror was coming back, so I assume you had a plan in place for when you were gone…

“... Right?”

“...”

Turning his head back forward, the Prince continues to trot in silence. The rain begins in this time, and the sound of its splashing drops echos loudly throughout the castle's inner walls.

“... Sir?” I probe again, concerned about his new quiet state of being.

“...”

“...”

“... Here we are, Barbara.”

Startled by the abrupt return to words, I cease staring into the back of Solaris’ head and instead observe our new surroundings.

We're now… in the same sort of hallway that can be found anywhere in Canterlot Castle. Marble pillars, glass windows, pots with no flowers… Nothing looks special here to me.

“Upon my word, these halls are safe,” the Prince declares, probably sensing my lack of understanding. “We are free to speak uncensored once more.”

With the sound of hooves clicking and clacking throughout the corridor, and with the rain being reflected in the many windows surrounding us, we resume moving forward.

“... Allow me to pick your brain, my friend,” Solaris restarts the talks once more. “...Why do you think I brought guards with me to the celebrations this week?”

Huh? Why? Why is he asking me that?

I mean, the answer is obvious... right?

“Because it only makes sense to protect the ruler of the nation when he leaves his castle?”

Solaris laughs at this answer.

“Very true, Barb,” he concedes to me. “That truly is the logical solution to such a scenario, so please allow me to ask a different question instead... What role did they play in the prophecy that has already come to pass?”

Again I’m left stumped, and asking myself what's the point of this inquiry? Regardless, I still rack my brain for a bit before getting an unsure answer of, “Well… none. The prophecy was about the boys, who I guess were the 'stars', and The Man in the Moon, who was Nightterror Nebula...”

“Correct again!” Solaris cheers happily and animatedly, which causes me to dip slightly on his back. As I reorient myself, the Prince goes on to praise me a little more, “You even got the 'stars' portion correct! I'm impressed, Barbara...

"... Moving on though; the prophecy, the one an old Seer friend of mine wrote on her deathbed, included no guards. It didn’t include Gleaming or her soldiers, and it didn’t include either of us… So, again I'll ask you; why did I bring guards with me? If our visions didn’t include them, why would I bring them at all?”

Now this question stumps me the hardest at first. The ambient noise shrinks away to nothingness to my ears as I push all of my focus into finding an answer. Why did he bring them... Why why why...?

Eventually, I come up with a solution that seems fair enough.

“You didn’t know that Artemis could be restored originally,” I hazard a guess. “I was the one who revealed that to you, not your own visions! So you brought them... just in case The Nightterror needed to be contained...?”

That's about the best response I can think of.

Solaris still snorts at it though.

“C-close,” he cracks up, clearly taking joy in my struggles. Perhaps this is sort of petty revenge for my earlier blowing of his mind... “Very close, but you’re not quite there yet. You are correct in stating that I didn’t know my brother’s hopeful outcome to this whole ordeal. The idea behind this claim though, the idea that I didn’t know... that is as close as you got to the answer, Barb.

“The real answer... is that Gleaming Shield didn’t know either!”

“... What?”

Now seeming a little more like his usual self, Solaris laughs at my confusion. “She didn’t know about my brother being restored as well. She also didn’t know about her own brother’s involvement, or that four days of darkness was coming… or that The Nightterror was returning at all.”

I nearly fall right off of Solaris’ back thanks to this confession.

“W-what?!” I jitter. “You didn’t tell the Captain of the flipping guards about a threat like that?! Why?! Y-you're pulling my leg, right? I mean, s-she had to secretly know about all this... right?!?”

“Hehe” the Prince continues to snicker at me. “I’m afraid things were not that elaborate, Barbara."

Then, as if he was unleashing a grand punchline, Prince Solaris grins brightly as he stretches his wings upwards to his side; reiterating proudly that

"Gleaming Shield and her soldiers were as blind as everypony else that night!"

I'm left dumbfounded.

"The same can be said for Prince Mi Amore Bolero," he further goes on to explain. "His temporary ascension to the throne was a noble sacrifice that he made of his own free will! The knowledge of his actions comforts me greatly, and fills me with confidence that the lessons on how to be a proper ruler have not been wasted on him, as was the case with Princess Bluebelle.”

As the Prince folds his wings back to his side, I find myself still too stunned to process these words properly.

“But… b-but they know you can see the future, right?!” I plead desperately, trying in vein to understand. “It’s not common knowledge, but I figured that at least your staff kne-”

“Only three beings currently alive today know about my Seer status, Barbara,” Prince Solaris states bluntly, halting my rant. “You, my brother, and an old enemy of mine. My powers have been a close kept secret for the entirety of Equestria’s history, and I'm afraid to say that I plan to keep it that way for the foreseeable future.”

“WHY?!”

Solaris chuckles further at my frustration.

I’m not finding this particularly funny though.

“If you have such a power,” I raise my voice. “Why aren’t you letting more ponies know?! S-so many of them were scared out of their minds when the sun went down yesterday! They were frightened too when Nightterror Nebula originally showed up! Red Gala thought she lost her little brother, and so did Gleam! And ponies weren’t prepared to see Artemis’ beautiful night, being too afraid of him, and, a-and…”

“And you’re afraid of letting Dusk know about your past.”

Solaris’ words silences me completely.

My eyes widen.

Again, the Prince turns his neck so as to better look at me.

His expression is reassuring and consoling.

“Fear is a natural part of life, Barbara,” he speaks wisely. “My power can't eliminate it as a whole, as it lies within us all in one form or another. It is as unavoidable as sadness, love, and death at the end of the line.

“That said... you're right to think that it is an emotion that should be mitigated to an extent. It is why I assume you have chosen to bury your secrets deep within yourself, and why I assume you express it through creative outlets such as… oh, I don’t know; let’s say…

"... writing?”

I now find my free claw subconsciously gripping the strap of my purse.

The same purse that holds The Poisoned Barb.

With heart beating fiercely in my chest, my two eyes lock on to Solaris’ one as the two of us participate in the fiercest staring contest I’ve ever been apart of.

It thankfully doesn’t last long, as Solaris willingly blinks first.

“Your secrecy is valid, my friend,” reassures the alicorn as he starts trotting forward once more. “In time I hope you'll understand that mine is as well... I also feel as though your fear will prove to be valid too. It is because of this assumption that I have not pushed you any further on the subject, and why I grant you your freedom in keeping the full truth from me...

"... Please note though that if I felt in any way that what you hide may prove dangerous to yourself or others, I would have under no circumstances extended such a kindness onto you in the past.

“And now, by that same token... This is the reason why I did not grant you the same freedom when it came to your Seer powers, Barbara. You have my word that I will never reveal to your friends either secret, if I am to ever learn more... But this will come at a price.”

“P-price?” I whimper out as I shrink under Solaris’ metaphorical gaze.

“Yes...” he confirms, not granting me another glance. “A price. The same price, in fact, that even I still pay to this day.

"It is as thus, Barbara The Dragoness," the Prince goes on. "I expect, neigh, command you to follow the Code of the Seer that I have spent hundreds of lifetimes maintaining. In doing so, I feel as though we could together lead Equestria towards a truly harmonious future.”

“Code... of the Seer?” I mindlessly repeat, in an attempt to gain clarity from the words alone.

"... What was your intentions in showing me your vision, my friend?"

"T-," I try to choke out for Solaris. I'm scared of where this is now going. "T-to change it, sir..."

With head still aimed squarely forward, focusing on the path ahead, the Prince simply grunts in response.

“Just as I feared... and exactly why The Code was originally created."

My heart beats loudly in my ears.

"The Code's current form is a relatively new revision, Bard,” the Prince attempts to explain for me, emphasizing every vital syllable as if it were his last. “It's not even a decade old yet. I simplified the original contents myself after an event reshaped how I view our powers as a whole… and how I interpret their actual worth."

With no warning, my alicorn steed halts in place once again and intently trains his good eye on me.

“... The Code is as follows," he begins, making damn sure that I'm paying close attention. "It consists of only two truths, working in tandem, to insure that our secret society's morals can be easily passed down and preserved to those who will come after us.

"The first truth, Barbara, is that the Future is not set in stone; it is as fluid as a river and just as ever changing...

“... The second truth is that the Future is a stone; one whose face has already long since been fully carved.”

“That… t-that doesn’t make sense,” I stutter out weakly, grasping at straws; trying to get a straight answer for once in this miserable life.

There’s a pause as mine and the Prince's eyes remain locked in place.

Eventually, as he turns his head once more and resumes his slow stride, Solaris speaks plainly and clearly for me for the first time in a long, long while.

“It means that our visions must come to pass, Barbara.”

My heart plummets into my stomach as a result.

All sense of hope still within me soon follows suit.

“No,” I stammer out hysterically, shaking in my seat. “N-no no no! Y-you can’t be serious! You… you lost an eye!” I roar, gripping the pony’s mane harder. “That happened during an event we let happen! One we saw! One we worked at making come true! You can’t… y-you can’t be seriously telling me that what happened to you was fine?!”

“Barbara.”

“You can’t be telling me that we should just let Discord walk all over us and do what sh- he wants!”

“Barbara.”

Tears blur my vision.

“Y-you can’t be telling me that everything is going to be okay if we just do nothing…"

The future can change, but it's set in stone.

"... You can't be telling me..."

No matter what I do, I can't change the destination.

"... that you w-would have still had your eye..."

All I'm doing, all my mere presence in this world is doing...

"... if I h-hadn't tried to stay a-awake.”

... is making the journey bumpier.

Plunk! Twinkletwinkletwinkle

Before I’m given the chance to process what’s going on, I find a sort of white material softly wiping itself across my wet face. Fighting back my waterworks, my mind puts two and two together and causes my eyes to widen once more.

Solaris had plucked a few of his own feathers, and is using them to dry my tears.

With head once again turned to face me, that same pacifying smile of his from earlier makes yet another appearance.

“Barbara,” he coos gently to me. “You are not to blame for what happened to me. While it's true that what we do can send massive ripples into the future, and that we can change events drastically for the worse; ultimately it was Nebula's choices and Nebula's choices alone that scarred me so, not yours!

"Please understand that I meant it when I said that your fears for the future are valid; I meant it when I said I value your Sight, and that I value our friendship! I would do nothing to purposely hurt you, child, and The Code is not meant to do that either, despite its bluntness.

"The Code was crafted long ago by Seers wiser than myself, in order to maintain a sense of balance to events yet to transpire. The changes I've made to it in recent times have not caused it to deviate from this original intention, but to instead better highlight this unbreakable law to all. I reforged and refined it into it's current form in response to an event that still haunts me now; an event that strengthened my trust in its words and its worth.

"This event of which I speak was when my Sight surprised me greatly.

"It surprised me by forcing me to watch the same vision... twice.”

Sniffing, I calm myself down enough to listen more carefully. This attempt at stability causes Solaris to lean the side of his head against my own, and to softly lie it on top of my forehead in order to comfort me. We remain in place as such until he breaks the contact first; perhaps sensing how my body is now stiller. Though he now looks away from me, the Prince's eye refuses to focus on anything in particular.

Instead he stares outwards forlornly through the rain soaked window besides us.

“... The scene I witnessed," he mutters quietly, before drumming up the courage to speak normally once more. "The scene was of The Nightterror’s defeat at the hooves of six ponies, and Artemis' timely rescue.

"It came to me first during a meeting with an old orphanage’s owner. The subject of the discussion I had with her has long since been lost to the recesses of my mind, but I still remember what the Sight provided for me that day as clearly as if I was watching it now as we speak.

“The vision I witnessed saw my then future student, Dusk Shine, standing triumphantly alongside his fire-forged friends…

“... all while the blue Element of Laughter dangled proudly off his form.”

“...”

“...”

“... Barbara? Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” I manage to squeak out, all while my head finds itself in a new daze. “Just trying to figure out how we had an entire conversation about a parallel Equestria where you’re a Pretty Princess…and yet you still found a way to one up me!!”

Despite the serious swerve and edge this whole meeting has taken, this still puts stitches right into Prince Solaris’ side.

“It’s n-not a competition,” he attempts to lie around his guffaws. “And the scenario is not as unlikely as you may think. A pony can mean many different things to many different ponies; where in one group you may be seen as the kind one, in another you could be known as the most loyal! Dusk wielding such an Element was not outside the realm of possibility to me back then, as this vision revealed itself to me quite a number of years before I so much as even met the young colt...”

Solaris' expression then turns dark.

“... But I’m afraid that my current student is not the focus of this old tale, Barb. No," he then chokes slightly, as his words gain a mournful aura to them. "Instead... the focus of this sad story for today will be about the bearer of the Element of Magic from my original vision... It will be about my personal student before Dusk.

"It will be about a young unicorn known as Sunset Blaze."

Sunset... Blaze?

... That's not a name I recognize, from this world or the show...

But then... why does it still sound so familiar to me?

My friend's story continues on as I search my own memories, and try to find an answer.

“Destiny saw fit to bring the two of us together that day; the same day the vision appeared before me," Solaris waxes poetic. "Sunset started out as an orphaned foal within the walls I was visiting back then. He showed great promise in the art of magic at an early age, so I chose to take him under my wings and aid him in his growth.

"... Originally my intentions were not so noble, I'll willingly confess. I was only aiming to set him up to play the role fate had assigned to him; I felt it was my part to play in his story.

"This poor attitude of mine reflected greatly in his early lessons, and it only served to drive him further and further towards pleasing me. I, as the fool that I was and still am, saw this as a good thing, and as the sign of a worthy cultivation. My first vision contained Prince Artemis' safe return, Barbara! I wanted my brother back so badly that I... I-I refused to let anything stand in my way towards our reunion...

“... And Sunset suffered because of this tunnel vision. I pushed him too far... So eager to please me was he, so willing to rise up and win every challenge set before him... Before I realized it, he started to drift towards darker pursuits. He… h-he started seeking forbidden knowledge to better himself, and he eventually attempted to make himself an alicorn like me, consequences be damned.

"When it became apparent that I had failed him as a teacher, I prematurely ended our lessons and removed him from my school before I could hurt him any further. As it slowly dawned on me that I had just banished an orphaned, cutie mark-less eight year old into the cruel world all by his lonesome, he… left. He left before I could hope to correct my mistakes...

“... The event left a hole in my heart, Barb; a hole equal in size to the one my mistakes with Artemis had left in me centuries earlier.”

Our movement stops completely as Solaris lowers his head to the ground in shame.

"My Sight, and my actions as a result of it, ruined a young pony's life, Barbara.

"I killed his happy future."

Rain continues to fall as the halls return to silence.

I…

… Wow.

T-that’s a lot to take in.

Sunset Blaze… I’ve heard this name before...

... and now I know from where.

Sunset Shimmer was the name of an old pony toy Ashley once had, whose box mentioned that the orange mare was a former student of Celestia's. The pony herself never appeared on the show, at least from what I can still recall, but I always knew that her colt self existed here in this Equestria somewhere. You may remember when I mentioned before how I stumbled on an old journal of his, way back when The Poisoned Barb was a journal itself instead of a diary? Well, outside of it being a completely full book with no pages left to write in it, I didn’t glean anything else of importance from the dusty old tome at the time. All it served to do, in the grand scheme of things, was to confirm for me how real this world actually was during the darkest point in my life; back when I felt that this place was only here to make me suffer. To hear such a sad story about him now…

“... Where did he go, Solaris?” I ask, momentarily setting aside our past conversation about the future. I honestly want to know. “His future may have obviously changed, but did he ever find peace at least?”

I don't receive an answer at first.

“That… is a story for another time, I'm afraid,” the Prince eventually deflects, walking forward down the hallway. Looking up, it seems like we’re about at the end of this winding road. We’ve hit a number of twists and turns so far, but mentally I still know where we are in this big old place. We’re for sure a long ways away from most of the common traffic; I don’t even think Dusk has been this far off the beaten path before. “This current story I speak of isn’t complete yet, Barbara. I haven’t explained my second vision; the one that replaced Sunset with Dusk, and the other bearers with five completely different ponies.

“I received this followup vision on the same day that you were born, actually, and the same day when I first met Dusk Shine. I recognized him from my first Sight right away, and upon meeting him in person I came to the discovery that a lighter touch was going to be necessary in order to push him towards his new destiny. My Sight may have shown me a future that lacked the return of Prince Artemis, but it was still a future I was willing to work towards. I refused to let another suffer because of my negligence… T-though I did briefly fail this goal when it came to you, my dear friend; when I sent you to those horrible Bluebelles for training. It seems like this has become a rather poor habit of mine. Perhaps my brother may be able to steer me back to the proper path, or perhaps even yourself or Dusk… Only time will tell, I suppose.”

Solaris then stops trotting; perhaps even for the last time today. We've now halted in front of a locked set of doors so far removed from everything else that I don’t have the foggiest idea as to what it could be here for. To further allude towards this being the final stop in our travels, the Prince next uses his magic to slowly place me back on the ground. Now able to face me fully, my friend chooses to do just that at this time by staring at me head on.

“These events,” he finishes strongly and passionately. “Are what motivated me to create the abridged Code of the Seer, and they are what drive me to be as cautious as I am towards influencing the future; or so much as letting other ponies know about what's to come.

"The events we see will happen one way or another, Barbara. The future can be changed, but I don’t believe even I have the authority to make such decisions lightly. Not without causing another tragedy like Sunset's...”

With ears wilting I…

… can only nod my head in agreement.

There’s no way I’m going to be able to break through a grief-wall that flipping thick! Solaris' reasons are sound, sadly. The future can be changed, but it will just correct itself towards a bumpier path like I said. I... I really can't do anything else but just go with its flow... It looks like Discord/Eris is going to return no matter what.

Guess I’m just going to have to rely on my old fall back; having faith in Dusk.

“I... understand,” I speak in defeat. “I don't like it, but I see where you're coming from... C-can we at least figure out a way to have the scrolls sent to Ponyville during Discord's return so that they won’t cause me to sneeze my brains out each time? I'm really not looking forward to that part!”

Is keeping my dignity intact in this world really that hard to ask for? I mean, seriously?!

Though I’m expecting an answer to my selfish question, Solaris doesn’t provide me one right away. Instead, he turns towards the door in front of us and proceeds to place a key within its lock. With a slight twist with his magic, the dusty room beyond reveals itself fully to the both of us in all its… oldness. It takes my eyes a second to adjust to the oppressing darkness. Although my sight tunes into the dark really quickly due to my draconic nature, the dust particles being thrown up into the air right now make the task quite a bit harder than usual to accomplish.

Eventually though, I’m rewarded for my perseverance with a good hard look at this location.

‘Junk closet’ are the first words that come to mind for me. Though the room looks to be as large as mine and Dusk’s new bedroom in Ponyville, it doesn’t look like it’s currently being used for much else outside of knickknack collecting. There's old picture frames lining ancient shelves, ratty looking books stacked haphazardly to and fro, and a large tarped object stands front in center over it all. The shape sort of reminds me of a large vanity mirror; perhaps an old one kept around for sentimental reasons? I did the same with an old broken mirror from my youth, back on Earth…

“What… is this place?” I question as I step inside the room. Casting my eyes around grants me the sight of much of the same; old novels, old paintings, old furniture, old everything.

“This…” Solaris starts to explain as he enters the room as well. He takes in the same sights as me for a brief moment before turning to face me once again. Returning the favor, I bring myself forward just in time to watch as the Prince extends his wings fully, so as to gesture to the entire place as he explains that this,

“... will be Discord’s new home.”

My heart just about leaps up from out of my chest.

“W-what?!” I ask equal parts loudly and hopeful.

Is he insinuating what I think he’s insinuating?!

With a single nod, and calming smile, I confirm that yes; this is the case.

“I said that changing the future isn’t a decision I could make lightly,” Solaris jokes cheekily. Never have I been so overjoyed to be trolled by the master. “But this isn’t a decision I’m making by myself; this will be our choice, Barbara. Next time you have a vision, you tell me. We'll bear the burden together, as a team. You have a vision you don't like, we'll change the future together...

“... Does that sound acceptable to you, my dearest friend?”

Sometimes I love this jerk more than I probably should.

“I… I think it does, your majesty!”

I don’t believe Solaris could look happier if he tried.

“Excellent!” he cheers alongside me. “I’ll be honest with you; I have been dreading that monster’s return ever since I first received those visions about him! I’ve been trying to drum up a solution for months on how to, or even if I should, prevent his return. I believe his power may be too great for this world... But this isn't a change we can make lightly, Barb. Even with our combined Sights, we may be unable to accurately predict how removing him from the equation will alter events... but together we should be able to steer the outcome towards a more favorable direction!

"From the sound of things, Dusk will be losing out on a valuable bonding experience with his friends as a result… I’ll be sure to replace the end event with one a little more controlled and safe."

"We can replace this stuff?!" I practically squee, hardly believing the words.

"For better or for worse; yes," the Prince confirms for me, sloppily straddling the line between his earlier seriousness and his usual silliness. "The future is set in stone on a few events, but not all of them. Sunset proved this to me long ago. It will not be an easy undertaking, but I feel as though we can together fabricate an equally important and better in the long run... Perhaps a vacation will be in order around that time? I hear that Las Pegasus is quite the place to 'hang out' these days!”

“Now you’re speaking my language!” I joke right alongside the pony, now equal parts happy and emotionally exhausted.

So the typical result of a Solaris talk, basically... A question comes to mind, however.

“There's a question I wanna ask you, your majesty."

"Go right ahead."

"Well... If you were so worried about Discord coming back… then why the hay is his statue outside where anypony can access it?!”

Solaris winces at this.

“I’ll admit that it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to a casual observer, Barb, but do understand that he’s been out there for hundreds of years without real issue! The fact that a common schoolyard argument will release him is ludicrous! I wonder if the Elements changing owners might have weakened his seal…”

“I guess that makes sense,” I concede, giving him the point. “But, still… why outside of all places? Why not in a museum?”

Solaris now blushes.

“T-the reason for that is a bit more… pony than logical, dear. While a museum would make a lot more sense, as it would still allow today’s ponies to learn about his history, it would not allow… well… Did you notice how his head is aimed upwards and is quite visibly open?”

“Yes… Why?”

Solaris face turns a shade even more red than the last.

“I may have wished an eternity of dirty rain water, dead spiders, and bird droppings upon him once upon a time and simply desired to follow through with the threat.…”

“... Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“... That’s gross.”

“I-I was a younger stallion back then,” the Prince shamefully pouts. “And it was mostly Artemis’ idea! I was simply… preserving his memory all these years! Yeah!”

“Suuuurrrreee,” I play along, though I still have to roll my eyes at this. Boys will be boys, I gues-

Wait.

By Solaris' train of thought, Celestia and Luna must have been doing the same thing back in their own world...

...

... Alicorns will be alicorns, I guess?

“A-anyways,” my friend coughs, trying to get me to forget about his humorous (and childish) choice. “I’ll be placing his statue inside this locked room as soon as possible. Moving it will be tricky; I don’t trust the use of magic to accomplish the task, and moving him by hoof might result in parts of him falling off. Even flakes and petrified pieces of Discord hold portions of his chaotic power, and have been known to cause bizarre effects… But I still feel that it will be worth removing him from the public’s eye.”

Turning my head around, I observe the storeroom one more time before asking, “Are you sure this will be a safe enough place? It doesn’t look too special…”

“You’re not incorrect in that deduction, Barb,” Solaris agrees with me. “However, I feel that this place will be as good as any protection-wise. I feel that any place we hold Discord will be unable to withstand the full might of his powerful magic.”

“Y-you got a point there,” I admit. He did seem really strong in the show, being able to take away horns and warp reality and what not.

“I also feel that a high security vault may be the wrong way to go about things too,” the Prince continues. “It might attract the wrong kinds of ponies. I’m already busy trying to think of a good place to store the Elements… You said Princess Celestia kept her own set behind a sealed door? I may just steal that idea off of her... Hopefully she won’t mind! Haha!”

“I’m sure she won’t,” I giggle alongside him. “And, yeah; I get what you mean now. It’s like when you purposely hide a bunch of gems inside your home's vault... but all the while you're secretly stashing the juicer ones inside the hollowed out remains of a book instead! Classic misdirection!”

The alicorn lifts a single eyebrow at this.

“An oddly… specific example... but yes; this setup will hopefully be out of sight and out of mind enough to work.”

With the plan set, the two of us give the room one more look over before leaving it behind. Upon Prince Solaris taking a long peek at the state of the object underneath the tarp, and after locking the door and returning me to his back, we begin to retrace our steps and return towards the entrance.

“Our time is drawing to a close, Barbara,” Solaris informs me in a matter-of-fact tone. The sound of rain begins to wane at the same time, as if to highlight this truth. “I must return to my duties, and I imagine that you’re eager to return to Ponyville before it gets too late.”

Huh? Is it already that late? Checking out a nearby ornament window, I confirm that yes this is the case. There’s a tiny bit of redness in the skies now as the sun reaches the endpoint where Solaris’ magical path from this morning guided it to. The Prince actually doesn’t move the sun every step of the way; he sets courses for it to travel down from sunrise all the way to sunset. In a few hours he’ll have to lower it completely, so that Artemis can set his own path in, but the mere fact that we’re already this close to those specific times is bananas. Goodness this went on for awhile, didn’t it?

“I’m glad you listened to me, Solaris,” I thank the stallion kindly carrying me down the hallways.

Solaris chuckles in return.

“Think nothing of it, my little dragon.”

Heh. Oh you corny old coot...

“Honestly I should be thanking you here, Barb,” the Prince counters. “Your Sight will be a great boon for the path I have planned for young Dusk. Together, we will steer him towards a grand future; one that, according to my visions, we can all benefit from!”

“Spoilers,” I chide cheekily. “I think you’re a few chapters ahead of me there, big guy.”

“Ah yes. My apologies,” Solaris laughs right back. “I guess I must do better to remember my own words! Like I said earlier; sometimes more is less.”

“True that,” I retort. “Though… I do have a lot more to share with you…”

“Oh?" my rides tilts his head. "Well then perhaps we should continue this conversation next time. How does… a month from now sound? I would like the opportunity to hear how Dusk is progressing with his studies around that time. I’m certain he’ll follow through with my request to send me friendship reports as well, but I would appreciate to hear your take on things too... if you’ll grant me the time, that is.”

“A whole month?” I question, thinking how far away that is…

… but then I remember how many episodes there still are between now and season two’s premier, so I come to the conclusion that this will most likely be just fine.

“Sounds good to me,” I confirm as I quickly write a little reminder to myself on a spare piece of parchment from out of my purse.

With a nod of his head, Solaris and I commit fully to this date. “Excellent… Are there any other small visions or insights you care to share with me at this time, dear, before we must depart?”

Drawing a claw tip to my lips, I summon up my show memories and review them as I hum. Let’s see… everything else up in here is just slice of life stints all the way up to ‘The Best Night Ever’. Celestia’s involvement in season one was pretty minimal too; a ticket here, a request to move a dragon there, a small number of appearances as well if I’m remembering that right. Luna doesn’t show up again until the Halloween/Nightmare Night episode, so nothing to worry about there either. I don’t think there’s anything here worth bringing up except maybe the dragon, but I’m sure the smoke it'll produce will be enough of a tip to get Solaris moving into action.

“Nothing I can really think of right now,” I finish after a pause. “Nothing too big is going to happen between now and then, at least according to my Sight.” I think this is the first time I’ve ever said ‘Sight’ out loud without mentally adding air quotes… Heh. Guess I’m a real Seer now. “About the only advice I can give is to just… do more. Like, give things more thought, and maybe keep Dusk and I more in the loop about things.”

The Prince mulls this suggestion over.

“Do more… I think I can handle that just fine, Barb.”

“Good,” I chime…

… Then a thought occurs.

I’m probably going to hate myself for this, but…

“Is… is there anything else I should know too, your majesty? Vision or insight or what-have-you?”

There’s a pause.

It’s a longer pause than I like.

“Well…” he notes… cautiously. “I do believe there is one thing I should probably say to you before we part ways.”

Me and my big mouth. Why is blissful ignorance never an option for me?!

“W-what’s that?” I ask, dreading the answer.

Though the sense of nervousness never leaves his voice, the Prince still manages to make his next words sound deceptively confident. “Know that the secret of your power is safe with the two of us, my friend, and that we’ll always be here for you.”

I release the breath I’ve been unknowingly holding thanks to this declaration.

“We’ll that’s a relief,” I tell my pony friend as we reach the exit. “It’s reassuring to hear that you’ll be-”

Wait.

Freeze frame.

Rewind back by ten seconds.

‘... safe with the two of us.’

“T-two?” I whimper out pathetically as I’m levitated back towards the ground. Now on my feet, I stare slack jawed at my questionable friend as he rubs a hoof behind his head in an embarrassed manner.

“Yeeeeeaaaahhh,” the ancient pony shyly reports, like a foal caught with their hoof in the cookie jar. “About that… Your secret will be kept safe between myself…”

He then turns his head backwards towards the hallway, and yells out at the top of his lungs,

“AND MY LOVELY, NOSY LITTLE BROTHER!!”

“Eep!”

Catching the faintest sound of a stallion, I shoot my gaze down the hallway and just barely manage to catch a glimpse at a retreating alicorn’s blue tail.

...

...

… Buck me sideways.

“H-how…" I internally scream. "How much do you think he overhear-”

“Probably all of it.”

“ALL?!?!”

“I can’t apologize enough, Barbara,” Solaris turns to bow lowly towards me. “I am a millennium out of practice in sensing his presence! It was only towards the end there when I finally noticed him. I should have known better though; he is still relearning about this world, so of course he would be exploring the castle at this time!

"I will have ‘the talk’ with him about your powers and I will be sure to inform him that he is not to share your secrets with anypony. I’m certain he’ll comply to the request; he remembers everything he did as Nightterror Nebula, after all. He's already experiencing immense guilt towards his actions involving you and the children of Ponyville that horrid night… You’re secret will be safe, Barb; to this I swear to you as both a Prince of Equestria and as your friend.”

“Okay,” I respond a little too quickly, as I'm too numb to really say or do anything else. “Whatever you say.”

“... Have a great evening, dear.”

“...”

Turning my back towards the Prince, I wave my claw passively back at him as I begin my long trek back home. “Whatever you say, Solaris.

“Whatever you say.”

“... THE TRAIN FOR PONYVILLE WILL BE DEPARTING SHORTLY!!” shouts the train conductor outside my window. Since I'm all ready aboard the train, I tune the noise out. “ALL ABOARD THAT’S COMING ABOARD!!”

Since we are departing shortly, I recheck the contents of my bag to assure myself that everything I needed to grab from the Spire is already inside. I find my thoughts wandering as I do so, and they drag me once again back to my meeting. The result was ultimately the same to a typical talk with Solaris; a small amount of progress, and a lot to think about. More of my secret was revealed today as well, which is honestly a concerning trend.

At least I’m now free from him for a month; that’s a nice change of pace from the weekly correspondence I'm usually expected to accomplish. I also managed to change the future in a good way this time! That’s pretty nice too, and I even did it within Solaris’ Code of the Seer rule set!

I’m actually really surprised how smoothly everything went. About the only thing that’s a little troublesome now is that I can't seem to focus my mind; it’s currently jumping around from Eris to Sunset to Artemis to… Well, in summation, it’s a right old mess up there right now. I need find some fun and distracting activities in order to get my mind off this garbage. Activities like… like…

Absentmindedly, my claw readjust my purse's strap.

After a momentary pause to process the action, an idea suddenly forms within my mind. I’ve never ridden a train before, but this one is well known for supposedly being a smooth ride. Rumor has it that author A. K. Yearling once wrote the entire first draft of ‘Dashing Dare And the Great Train Robber’ on this same locomotive!

I think that’s a rumor worth exploring, don’t you?

With goal now set in mind, and with the train now departing, I take ownership of an empty privacy nook and whip out The Poisoned Barb. Once I’m sitting comfortably on the small bed, and once my wet quill gently touches the blank piece of parchment, the words flow out of me like water out of a faucet as my story takes shape before my eyes.

“... My apologies for this slight interruption in my retelling,” I read out loud after awhile, as I write; taking advantage of the rare opportunity to do so without repercussions. “But a thought now occurs to me. Since I was unable to do this previously, due to the circumstances surrounding Entry One’s original creation, please allow me to continue this chapter properly.

“It’s just not a diary without these classic two words.

“~Dear Diary~"

As you observed already upon finishing entry two, my claw writing was as steady as ever, even upon a moving train. I suppose this proves that the rumors about that Dashing Dare book are true. I’ll have to find a way to share this information with Rainbow Dash the next chance I get.

For now though, I believe that this would be the best place to stop for now. According to the yawn I just produced between this paragraph and the last, it’s getting pretty late here in Ponyville. I’m going to call it a wrap on this third entry, so that I can hit the hay and be nice and alert for tomorrow.

You see, Dusk and I promised Applejack that we’d help him with his apple bucking that day, as well as his little bet with Red Gala.

We certainly don't want to be late for that now, do we?

See you next time, my secret diary.

Author's Notes:

Fifty internet points (and maybe a small peek at the next chapter) to the reader able to point out the video game line I stole wholesale this chapter. VIDEO GAME line, remember

EDIT: As what was JUST revealed to me by Nopetrain, in Chapter 9 of the original The Poisoned Barb Solaris referred to his 'wayward student' by the name of Glare; as in Sunset Glare. This chapter relied on a LOT of knowledge from the first book, but I'm sorry to admit that I failed my dice role on this one.

For the sake of continuity, this stallion's full name will now be Sunset 'Glare' Blaze going forward. Sorry for the confusion.

Entry 4, Part 1 (The Ticket Master)

Author's Notes:

Last chapter I put up a challenge for readers to try to find the quote that I had lifted wholesale from a video game. Some got close to figuring it out, and one reader at least figured out the video game in question, but nobody got it (I think most were too distracted by the RvB reference to catch it)... Oh well! Thank you all who tried though! I might try doing that again in the future! Here's the quote in its entirety;

"Next time you have a vision, you tell us. We bear the burden together, as a team. You have a vision you don't like, we'll change the future together." -Reyn from Xenoblade Chronicles... moments before his 'Time'

Now, please enjoy Part 1 of The Ticket Master!

~Dear Diary~

Today I was given a sobering reminder on how long its been since I last watched My Little Pony.

I was reminded on how long its been since I was last an adult woman.

I was reminded on how I shouldn’t fixate on making the now a perfect replica of fiction, or on transforming the future into a more easily controlled form.

I was reminded that I’m only human dragon at the end of the day.

And, most importantly of all, I was reminded how much I love

Most importantly of all, I was reminded that Prince Solaris is, to use a human phrase...

... A DIRTY TROLL.

“... No.”

Toss.

“Nope.”

Toss harder.

“... Nope!”

Toss the hardest. It’s all squishy and icky and, just... Ew!

Boy... none of these apples look good!

With the bright summer sun beaming down on me from on high, as it had been doing all morning long, I dive back into my fruit pile and continue my assigned task. Though Dusk acts as my moving steed in this time, and holds my bundles aloft with the aid of two baskets firmly saddled to his sides, he pays me little mind as I go about my business.

“Thank you kindly, Dusk, for helping me out!” chuckles Applejack as he carries his own large load of freshly harvested apples down the dirt path. He resumes speaking shortly thereafter, needlessly reminding us of what our goal for the day was. There's some times where I think that he just likes to hear himself speak. “I bet Red Gala I could get all these Golden Delicious in the barn by lunchtime! If I win, she’s gonna walk down Stirrup Street in one of Gramp’s lederhosens!”

As the farmer chortles over the job well done, I find myself mentally smiling over the sight of him practically bouncing up and down, not unlike a child on Christmas day morning. For as rough and hardy as this pony likes to hype himself up as, Applejack is actually a rather cute colt when he's in his element.

Dusk calls back, “N-no problem at all, Applejack,” in response; doing his best to hide how tired and winded he clearly is. I roll my eyes at his pathetic attempt, but I pay it no further mind as I go through the apple piles still secured to his sides. The basket on my left (Dusk’s right) are filled with the sorted good fruit, the ones on the opposite side are the unsorted items, and the bad apples belong on the ground where they can decompose. Just like Applejack taught me... Hmmm... While we're on the subject of apples; according to what I’ve organized so far from Dusk's piles, he sure has picked quite a bit of bad crops today. Either bruised or misshapen or what have you; they're not suitable for pony consumption in the slightest! That's rather disappointing to see... though I guess this was to be expected in the long run.

There's a reason the term 'Unicorn Farmer' is a popular oxymoron here in Equestria, folks.

Here's a quick summery for the less informed. The odds of Equestrian fruit and veggies going bad early can increase substantially when active unicorn magic interferes with the passive Earth Pony magic used in the crop's creation or its harvesting process. It’s the unfortunate downside of growing food with forces that guarantee an always plump, delicious, and fresh product; said forces are very delicate and prone to going haywire if they’re disturbed too much. This is why Unicorns still use utensils, even though they have their horns. Not only that, but it's also considered rude and barbaric to eat with just your aura. It's kinda like eating soup with your hands; technically possible, but unsanitary and needlessly inefficient all at the same time.

This fundamental arcanic balance between when to manipulate magic and when not to is a pretty basic concept to understand. Even a 'common' child like me knows the gist, and of course both Dusk and Applejack know all about it too. They probably know it better than most.

Both boys knew the risks of upsetting this harmony, which is why Dusk tried his darnedest to buck as many apples off these trees the Earth Pony way. He did all that he could so as not to be a bother... but he’s no workhorse.

Never has this truth been made more blatantly clear to me than it has today.

With his lungs burning with an unaccustomed fire, and with his face drenched in the foreign fluid known as 'sweat', it didn’t take long before my scholarly friend’s heavy pants and whimpers of pain could be heard halfway across the fields. This made his discomfort known to all, despite him trying to hide the fact. Once the anguished cries finally got on Applejack’s last (and probably only) nerve, the stallion reluctantly gave Dusk the okay to use his telekinesis on a small dotting of trees here and there, just so that they could at least finish with an wisp of timeliness. This offer was given with the mutual understanding that a small fraction of today’s collection would become inedible as a result of the spell. Sure the contamination effect might not be completely guaranteed, so long as the caster is cautious of their actions during the spell, but I’m willing to bet that Applejack would have never been so willing to let him light up his horn if it weren’t for the fact that nopony else (extended family or otherwise) had come to his aid today...

... or for the fact that his family is currently boasting about record harvest numbers for the season. It's the talk of the town right now, literally everypony knows. It's probably why nopony else came to help; today's harvest is solely a victory lap for the sake of competition and perhaps one or two extra bits. A bushel of bad apples will little not hurt a darn thing. Working extra hard for produce he might not even be able to sell... I guess the power of sibling rivalries is just as strong here as it is on Earth.

Not that I would know or anything. I was a single child in my last life and I still am one now...

...

... What would it have been like to be reborn as another's sister, I wonder? It probably would have been an interesting life to lead... Would it be nicer to be the older one, or the younger one? My eldest daughter and youngest son both seemed pretty happy where they were in the hierarchy, even if they did fight every once in a while... I suppose the experience would depend heavily on whether or not the universe sees fit to grant me parents on top of a sibling. Being an orphan has granted be a few perks when it came to redefining myself, true, and probably freed me from the guilt I might have pushed on myself if I had potentially robbed a stranger of a perfectly normal child... but that won't stop me from thinking about the possibilities. What would being a part of a real dragon family be like? Do they even have the concept of family? Or... maybe I could be given the chance to be a member of a pony family here in Equestria... I'm not talking about what the Prince offered me years ago; the chance to be adopted into one and leave Dusk behind. No... I wonder what it would have been like to be part of a pony family from day one, either as a dragon or... maybe a pony?

What would life have been like if I was a filly?

....

... As I play with this fantasy silently, continuing to mindlessly sort my piles all the while, Dusk's conversation with Applejack marches on. “I’m glad the goal is lunchtime,” he remarks tiredly as I throw a few more bad apples to the ground. Toss. Toss. Nope. Nope. “All this hard work is making me hungry!”

“I know, right?” I add as I force my way out of the daydream. I toss another lumpy orb over my shoulder as I do, and make to throw myself even further into my work...

... but the soft thud sound the object made, once it had accidentally hit Dusk Shine on the head, snuffs out these plans before they were even given the chance to take root.

Ummm... Opps?

Crisscrossing my claws over one another, trying to appear as cute and innocent as I can, I give my most generous of steeds a large (though an admittedly guilty looking) smile.

Dusk glares back at me disapprovingly.

Double opps.

“Ple-ease, Barb,” snorts the deputized Element of Magic angrily. “You’ve been lounging on my back all morning while we worked, missy!”

“Exactly,” I shoot right back without pause; obviously referring to our earlier discussion about being hungry. “You two are taking sooo long that I missed snack-time!”

Hmph. Rude much, am I right?

Snack-time is the most important time for a growing baby dragon, I’ll have you know!

…

...

… Oh don’t look at me like that! I wasn’t slacking! I just can’t buck trees or levitate apples, so I’ve spent most of this morning simply trying to figure out why Dusk brought me here in the first place! Sorting these apples out is about the most I can really offer to this endeavor.

Frankly I think I was brought here solely to act as Dusk’s emotional support. He’s still new to the whole ‘there’s more to life than old dusty books’ thing, so I'm assuming that I was brought along just to make sure that he didn’t slack off himself.

It's the best guess that I have right now; being Dusk's number one assistant means that I have to occasionally be really good at guessing what his intentions are. I suppose that there's never enough time in the day to explain silly little things like what you're doing, or where you're going, when your snout is half buried in a book about Ponyville's agricultural development or the like.

Well, whatever his plan may or may not have been; the sudden rumbling of his stomach, followed by his nervous chuckling over it's loudness, thankfully drops the whole conversation between us all together.

“Hehe… Eh, I-I guess we better get some food,” Dusk notes shyly before turning away from me in an attempt to hide his now darkening cheeks.

With a roll of my eyes, I brush the words aside as I resume my sorting. The quicker I get this done, the faster we can eat... Let’s see… “Nope. Worm… A-ha!”

Hearing my joyful cry, Dusk turns his head back just in time to witness me holding up the most perfect, juiciest looking apple I’ve ever laid eyes on. Judging from the sparkles in his eyes, the audible smacking of his tongue, and the sudden saliva dripping from his lips; I think it’s safe to say that it’s the prettiest apple the colt has ever laid his eyes on as well.

“Oh Barb,” the hungry pony drools unabashedly as he stares longingly at the textbook definition of fruity perfection. “That looks… delicious…”

Yeah… it really does…

…

… Crunchmunchmunch~

“Barb!” Dusk growls at me disapprovingly as I finish off the single tastiest thing this world has ever produced for my taste buds.

Again I must repeat... snack-time is super important for baby dragons!

I have no regrets.

“What?” I shrug cheekily as I wipe the last few crumbs from my face. “Ladies first!”

Dusk continues to glare.

Before I can say anything more, a tickle reaches my nose, and along with it comes the familiar scent of brimstone.

Oh no; I-I think I feel a letter com-

“ACHOO!!”

‘Man I hate being a walking, talking mailbox,’ are the words that grace my thoughts (and not for the first time) as a single long jet of emerald tinted dragon fire dashes forth from my face. It unfortunately does so before I’m given the opportunity to prepare myself. Dusk thankfully ducks his head out of the way just in time to avoid being charbroiled, but he doesn’t react fast enough to also catch me before the recoil can send me flying right off of his back. My spines hit the dirt hard as a result, and the pain from the happenstance forces my eyes back open long enough to see the expected scroll materialize itself out of the ashes of my flame.

Applejack watches all this transpire silently, only to then approach the hovering object with a look of pure curiosity plastered to his face. Perhaps in sensing his friend’s well warranted interest in the bizarre sight, Dusk helpfully explains for the uninformed pony how “It’s a letter from Prince Solaris.”

Slowly returning to my feet, so that I can grab the letter out of the air as it floats down towards my level, it dawns on me that I’m now feeling an intense sense of... déjà vu? Huh? Why would that be the case...?

...

… Wait...

… Is... this an episode??

... Oh crap! I think this is an episode!

H-how did an episode start without me realizing it?! I... I-I had ONE JOB! How did I screw this up so badly?! How far are we into it now?! How how how how h-how-

Wait wait wait, caaaaalllllmmmm down, Barb. Calm... down... Think… Gotta remember… Loading memories… Looooaaadddding, annnnddd… done.

This...

... This is… Ticket Master, right?

Y-yeah... Yeah... I vaguely remember this one now. Twilight and her friends get tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala after lessons are learned about sharing blessings or whatever. What were the highlights…?

Um… There’s two tickets.

The girls fight over the spare.

Twilight returns them and gets the right amount back.

And Spike’s involvement was… minimal, I think. Slice of life fluff; good. Only thing of importance here are the tickets; I just have to keep that in mind and simply let Dusk do his thing… I can manage that just fine!

... Still can’t believe I forgot that this was where this little day with Applejack leads to though! I wrote in my book last night that I kinda sorta remembered it being an important event that led to another, but I thought this was for that other Applejack episode; the one with the baked bads and so on. I thought there was a day skip during this too, and that I still had a bit of time.... How did I forge-

“Barb? Why are you just standin’ there, girl?”

Oh... Oops. I got distracted and forgot that I'm in the middle of something right now. Just act normally, Barb; don't overthink these things or else everything will go to hell in a clawbasket just like last time with The NIghtterror.

“J-just letting that apple settle in my stomach,” I deflect quickly as I turn away from Applejack and his raised eyebrow. I focus all of my attention on the scroll in claw, and unfurl it so that I can read it out loud for both stallions present. Beginning by clearing my throat, I put on my best royal voice and project, “Hear ye, hear ye.”

… Did Solaris seriously just write ‘hear ye, hear ye?’ Hmm… while I wouldn’t put it that past the big dramatic guy, I doubt this was written specifically by him. I know Solaris’ hornwriting pretty well after all these years, and this isn't nearly as flashy. This looks more like the work of his secretary than it does his. It must be a mass-sent letter, meant for ponies besides Dusk… Wow I’m surprised by how little I’m remembering about this right now! 'What else am I forgetting...?'

I ponder all of this in my head, though on the outside I’m still reading this letter for my friends without any clear delay. “His Grand Royal Highness, Prince Solaris of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala is to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of, eh…”

I… I think it’s saying it’ll be, like, three to four months from now, unforeseen events notwithstanding… but the language is way too flowery to keep straight!

“Yadda yadda yadda,” I sum the writing up, choosing to instead skip ahead to the next important bit that catches my eyes. “... cordially extends an invitation to Dusk Shine plus…”

I blink my eyes.

That… doesn’t look right.

I read it over once, twice… three times in total, before deciding that it’s more important to not keep my friends waiting any further.

So, with that in mind, I reluctantly finish the letter by stating…

“... two guests.”

Neither Applejack or Dusk catch my suddenly unsure words.

No... Instead, they're more focused on hooting and hollering over anything else.

“The Grand Galloping Gala!” they both gasp and wail in unison. The two of them exchange hoofbumps and arm pumps with one another as they together cheer loudly for this sudden boon.

I, meanwhile, am left to simply scratch my head.

Dusk plus… two guests? So then, that would mean three tickets. But… Twilight only got two in the show! My foggy memories are becoming a tad more clear now on this subject; I remember watching this episode with my little Ashley in another lifetime. I recall how my sweetheart asked me, in a way only a child could, why the Princess sent her student two tickets when she knew she had plenty more friends now.

‘Acceptable conflict contrivance for a show aimed at preschoolers’ was the writer in me’s quick answer at the time, but I instead told my angel how big important people/ponies ask others to do things for them when they’re busy, and how little details can slip through the cracks by mistake. That felt correct at the time, and if this letter had stayed the same then I probably would have assumed the same here.

Not so much now...

“ACHOO!”

… the three gala tickets resting in my claws are convincing me that this was evidently a set-up from the get-go.

“Look,” I say dryly, drawing the excited boys’ attention back towards me and the fire scented tickets in my grip. “Three tickets.”

“Wow, great!” chimes Dusk happily, his head obviously full of ideas for the eventual ‘Best Night Ever’. “I’ve never been to the gala… Have you, Barb?”

“No,” I state plainly and bluntly. “And I plan to keep it that way.” Momentarily putting aside my internal concerns towards this minor change in canon, I explain, “I don’t want any part in that social hierarchy tango.” I hate dealing with nobles in normal public settings; why would I want to go to what’s practically their national holiday? I can guarantee that it’ll be more of the same for me when I inevitably go...

'... Oh why isn’t that creature leashed up? Oh who left their belongings unattended? Really now, one should keep their things at home where they belong.’

… Self entitled ponies can kiss my scaly butt, thank you… Except for Princess Bluebelle. She can instead kiss my hot, unwashed, sweaty fee-

“Aw, come on Barb,” Dusk interrupts my dark thoughts to quip. “A dance could be kinda cool.”

Ah poor, naive little Dusk Shine. You may have Canterlot blood flowing through your veins, but I’m glad that city never found its way into your soul. Good thing we live in Ponyville now, and away from all those jerks up in the mountains.

“Hehe… cool?” interjects Applejack, catching both mine and Dusk’s attention. Honesty’s bearer snickers slightly under his breath as he saunters over to my former ride’s side and casually lays a foreleg over his withers. Pulling him closer into a one-sided embrace, the suddenly smug looking stallion shoots his friend a toothy grin. “It’s a heap good more than just cool, Dusk. I’d lov-, no… I need to go to this here shindig, ya’ hear me?"

With an unfocused, distant look in his eyes, Applejack’s bearhug tightens as he wistfully elaborates his case to the slowly suffocating unicorn in his hold. “Land sakes… If I had an apple stand set up, them noble folks would be chowin’ our tasty vittles ‘till the cows came home!”

For the non-equestrian’s in the house; that’s a very long time. Cow Raves are infamous for lasting all night long, and thus are illegal in over thirty settlements throughout Equestria...

… I can’t make this junk up if I tried, people. Honest.

“Do you have any idea how much business I could drum up for Sweet Apple Acres?” Applejack continues to make his appeal. I’m unsure if Dusk can even hear him though; his face is turning a rather striking shade of purple as we spea- Oh. Wait. That’s just how he always looks. My bad. “Why, with all that money, we could do a heap of fixin’ up ‘round here! The roof the plow, Gramp’s hip… Shoot; if Barb ain’t want that extra ticket, we could even bring Red Gala with us and double our coverage!”

I… I think I spot drool dripping out of this dude's mouth as he salivates over the Bits clearly dancing merrily in front of his vision.

Ew.

Easing up on his accidental death strangling of my oldest friend, the orange pony wipes a good amount of the spittle from his lips before concluding his speech. “W-why, I’d give my left hind leg to go to that gala…”

Having been granted a window of opportunity, Dusk quickly acts on his ‘assailant’s’ wistful daydreaming by using his magic to remove his foreleg from off of himself. Now once again free from the 'horror' that is physical contact with another pony, Dusk takes a greedy breath of precious air for himself before considering his hearty friend’s words.

“O-oh,” the scholar eventually croaks out fully. Smiling weekly, he offers Applejack a small olive branch by saying, “Well, in that case, would you like to-”

Snap!

“WHOA!”

Time slows down for me as a rainbow colored comet violently descends from on high, smiting my boys with unfiltered animosity. As the dust settles over the assault, I find my claws involuntarily covering my lips as a messy, three-way pony pile reveals itself to me. Apples, baskets, and a well worn stetson find themselves scattered about as our newest arrival sticks his head up first and moans loudly.

“Ugghhhh…” bellows Rainbow Dash as he shakes himself off slightly an-, wait… There's something different about him today. What is it…? “Sorry about that… But are we talking about the Grand Galloping Gala??”

“Rainbow Dash,” Applejack groans loudly too upon picking and cleaning himself up, and upon returning his cap to his head. He narrows his eyes as he stares deeply into Rainbow’s own. “You told me you were too busy to help me harvest apples! What were you busy doing? Spyin’?”

“No,” counters RD with a flip of his mane, and a snap of his tail. “I was busy…”

He then points a hoof upwards towards a snapped tree branch above us; one which holds a pillow, a blanket, and a… book.

“... Reading,” the pegasus finishes. “No way was I going to miss the latest Dashing Dare book! It just came out!”

“THAT WAS TODAY?!”

At this surprise outburst, three sets of heads (mine included) turn in unison towards our fourth.

Dusk blushes deeply in response.

“S-sorry,” he mutters shyly, looking away. “I -I just can’t believe I forgot that the newest book was releasing so soon. I usually keep a close eye on that...”

“You’ve had a busy week, Dusk,” I offer sympathetically as I pat the pony’s side. Poor guy; it’s clear that he’s still trying to get adjusted to this new life of his. Needless to say, I know a thing or two about handling drastic changes like this. Hopefully I can help him along with his own. “It’s understandable…”

I then look towards Rainbow Dash once again.

… What is it about him that’s so different today? He’s not wearing his flowers from when we first met him, but I don’t think that’s what’s bothering me. I’ve seen him around a little bit ever since I first returned to Ponyville a few days ago, but he was always up flying about. With him back on the ground and in front of me again, he just feels… off, but I can’t put my claw on exactly what.

Hmmmm…

…

… Oh! Wait, I think I got it!

“Rainbow Dash,” I start to speak up, causing him to turn his head towards me. Now seeing him from the front end, I’m finally given somewhat of an answer towards my current burning question. I say somewhat, because... well... I’m still not really sure what it is I’m looking at right now.

Guess the only way I’m going to solve this mystery is by just asking Dash, plainly and bluntly...

“... Are you wearing lipstick?”

Proudly, and without hesitation, Rainbow Dash cheerily answers me with a resounding, “Yuppers!”

… He chooses not to elaborate any further...

…

...

… Oh well.

“It looks pretty,” I tell him truthfully. Try as I might, I can’t really remember too much more on how this opening part of the episode goes anymore, so I’ll just go with the flow for now. I have to remember that these boys are fundamentally different from the original stars of MLP, so minor deviations are acceptable. No point in trying to push them to be somepony they’re not.

Besides… it really does look nice on him.

“Thanks!” Rainbow Dash chirps happily in gratitude. He then points towards his lips and explains that, “It’s a coral blue, number five, semi gloss matte. I think it matches my coat pretty well if I do say so myself.”

“I think so too!”

“Ah you’re too kind, Barb. I’ve got spares if you want!”

“Thanks, but I don’t think blue would look good against my scales...”

“Really? Hmm… maybe you’re right… But maybe you’re more of a traditional scarlet… Wait! I think I have some purple laying around back home too!”

Gasp! “Ooohhhhh! Purple might be really cool, Dash! I’d love to give that a try!”

“Hah! Then I’ll totally hook you up the next chance I get, girlfrien-”

“Ladies!” suddenly roars Applejack, halting the private conversation Rainbow and I had accidentally slipped off into. “We were in the middle of somethin' here...”

Blushing slightly, I cough and take a step back from Rainbow Dash. R-right, the tickets and episode. I shouldn’t be interrupting this, it's important...

“Barb... You’re not old enough for makeup yet, young lady,” scolds Dusk crossly before turning his back towards me and facing the rest of his friends again.

I blow him a raspberry once his back is fully turned.

“Oh, right,” Dash laughs in reply, rubbing the back of his head as he does. With a quick shake of his mane, he returns to his usual cocky attitude as he resumes the earlier discussion. “Anyways, did I just happen to hear that you have a few extra tickets to the gala, Dusk old buddy?”

Snorting, Dusk answers “Yeah, but-”

“YES!” cheers Loyalties’ conduit as he performs a quick midair back flip. “That is so awesome! The Wonderbolts perform at the Grand Galloping Gala every year!”

As Rainbow Dash’s words begin to flow out of his muzzle at a rapid pace, regaling for us all his fantasies in showing the flight team his moves and earning himself a spot on their roaster, I notice out of the corner of my eye as Applejack’s earlier scowl slowly begins to turn nastier and nastier with each trick mentioned, and with each hypothetical scenario imagined.

“... Don’t you see, Dusk?” the blue flyboy wraps up, drawing his lofty dream to a close. “This could be my one chance to show ‘em my stuff. You gotta take m-”

Splat!

The sudden appearance, and explosion, of a red apple right against the back of Dash’s head cuts his pleas off completely. Stunned, the rainbow adorning pony turns around and spots the culprit quite speedily.

Not hiding his transgressions in the slightest, Applejack threateningly tosses a second apple up and down with the flat side of his front hoof.

“Now hold on just one pony pickin’ minute here, Dashie,” the irate looking stallion growls, staring down at the petite pegasus’ frame. “I asked for those tickets first!”

Though he looked briefly stunned thanks to the earlier fruit attack, Dash’s expression smoothly warps back into a laid-back smile as he beams happily at the (truthfully kinda intimidating) earth pony.

“Hmmm… so?” Rainbow neutrally replies, not allowing his friend’s words to get under his coat. “That doesn't mean you own both of them, Jack. There’s, like, three tickets in total from what I’ve overheard. Isn’t that right?”

Again Applejack grunts at Dash’s words.

“Yeah, you’re right…” he spitefully admits. “... But that means there’s only enough for Dusk, Red Gala and myself! Nopony else!”

“N-now wait a minute!” Dusk cries out, trying to gain control of this situation before it can get any more out of hoof. “Applejack, these are my tickets! I’m the one who gets to choose who's coming with me!”

“...”

… This seems to mildly work, as Applejack is now easing off a little bit from his pressuring of Rainbow Dash.

In sensing this calmer state, Dusk continues to speak. “Now then... since Barb doesn’t want to go to the gala, that means there’s enough tickets here for all three of us to go! It’s unfortunate that Berry, Elusive, and Butterscotch can’t come too, but I’m sure the guys will understand it if we just explain to them how you both have valid reasons for wanting to g-”

“Ah ain't goin' with him.”

“... W-... What was that, Applejack?”

Splat

Applejack allows the bad apple in his hoof to land harshly on the ground as he intensely locks his eyes with Dusk’s own.

“Ah said that ah ain't goin' with him, hayseed,” he repeats, spitting on the trail next to him as he does. “Don’t think for one solitary second that this blowhard won’t try to do somethin' stupid that gets us all tossed out of the gala in one fell swoop!”

“... What?” Dusk asks the fuming pony flatly. “You think he’ll do-… Where in the wide land of Equestria are you getting an idea like that from, Applejack?!”

“From the last Ponyville Wonderbolts Derby,” deadpans the stallion without missing a beat. Rainbow whistles casually to himself shortly thereafter, refusing to look at anypony in particular...

There’s a brief moment of silence after this statement. Upon realizing that no further explanation was forthcoming, Dusk asks simply, “What about it?”

Applejack takes a deep breath.

Rainbow Dash’s ears fall flat against his skull.

“Well, tumbleweed,” Jack starts slowly and softly; his words hardly above a whisper in volume… but this doesn’t last long as they soon explode into a mighty roar of “IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO!!”

An accusing hoof is now aimed fiercely towards the still whistling pony.

“They used to come yearly! Brought in a lot of visitors to this here town; wealthy visitors who bought mah families' wares each and every time!”

The outstretched foreleg inches itself ever closer to Dash’s muzzle.

“That all changed when this one,” the hoof presses itself against the accused’s muzzle, ceasing his tune. “just had to bug them Bolts one too many times and scare the whole lot of them off… So which one was it anyways, Dashie?” Applejack demands angrily, driving his hoof roughly into Dash’s chest. “Was it that Leewave chick, or that Fireball guy?! Huh?! Which one were you tryin' to flirt with?! I honestly can never tell which is your type, you darn flip-flopper!”

Blinking blankly in response to the accusation, and to the orange pressure still placed squarely against his chest, Rainbow recovers surprisingly quickly; quickly enough, in fact, that he’s able to swiftly don his earlier casual expression with zero difficulties.

“... Why are you suddenly asking about my type there, Jackie~?” the feminine stallion teases with the batting of his eyelashes, and the slow batting of Applejack's hoof out of his presence. “Are you..."

He leans in ever closer.

"... interested?”

“...”

“...”

“...RRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

Dusk and I both jump back in fright as the once-upon-a-time homely pony cries out in what is possibly the gruffest roar he could manage. Rainbow Dash’s grin never falters as he takes on the verbal assault in stride.

Applejack then pushes his leg forward, and thrusts it back into Dash’s reach.

“YOU, ME, HOOF-WRESTLE!” he orders with a venomous edge. “NOW! Winner gets the tickets!!”

“Guys…” Dusk tries to interject with a raised foreleg.

This tiny attempt to defuse the situation goes completely ignored as Rainbow Dash quietly observes the larger stallion’s massive foreleg. Looking down at Dash’s own, there’s an obvious size difference going on between these two colts. Rainbow’s foreleg is practically a twig in comparison to Applejack’s finely toned work legs. Dash is certainly not weak by any stretch of the imagination; Elusive and Dusk’s legs are even more thin due to their unicorn natures, for example. That said, this whole conversation is jogging my memories a little bit about certain aspects of the original show. Specifically, I vaguely remember another episode involving these two ponies where they were clearly evenly matched to one another… at least as mares.

As stallions, however, I think it’s clear to see which of the two ate their vegetables when they were growing up...

… Despite being at a clear disadvantage in this competition in all conceivable ways, Rainbow Dash surprises Dusk and I both by eagerly putting his own spindly leg forward.

“Deal,” he states clearly without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Applejack grins wickedly as a result.

“NOW you look like a dude, ‘dude’,” he openly mocks, laughing lightly. Taking the ‘arm’ within his own, he tightens his grip and readies himself. “Well then… On the count of three?’

“Sounds good to me,” Dash confirms with the single nod of his head.

“Alrighty… One.”

Dusk and I hold our breaths.

“Two.”

Sweat drips from our brows.

Silence reigns supreme.

“... THRE-”

Smoooooooch~

… It’s not everyday that you get to see the exact second in which a pony’s brain transforms itself into a thought devoid husk of flesh and chemicals.

That’s about the best way I can describe Applejack’s current state of being though; I can only assume that this is what's currently happening inside of the completely stunned pony’s slowly disintegrating mind.

I may not be a dude and/or a bro, but even I can imagine the confusion I might feel if my heated rival all of a sudden decided to lean forward in our ‘embrace’ and plant a nice, wet kiss right across my cheek.

With a new blue hickey glowing brightly off his face, Applejack clearly and intelligently states “B-baw?” as his thoughts turn to mush.

Rainbow smiles kindly at him for this…

...

... WHOOMP~!!

… before applying great pressure to his still interlocked leg, which ends up practically tossing poor Applejack right into the dusty dirt road.

Leaning down over his defeated opponent, so that his face is right up next to the downed farmer's own, Dash utters cheerily a short and simple declaration of, “I win~”

The speechless Earth Pony remains still and unmoving on the ground.

For his next trick, Rainbow Dash causes both Dusk and I to jump in place by addressing us with, “I guess we should figure out our third now, right, Dusk? If Barb doesn’t want to go, maybe we can ask Butters instead? I bet he’d love to check out all the critters the gala gardens holds on t-”

“Rain… BOW... DAAAAAAAAASSSSSH!!”

“Huh?”

A mighty battle cry roars out fiercely throughout the orchard as Applejack, having recovered from the surprise ‘attack’, lunges at the victorious pegasus and drags him into a full body wrestling match. I bring a claw to my eyes and try to protect them against the sudden kicked up dust cloud. Having to weather against it for but a moment, I’m thankfully yanked away from the scene with the aid of Dusk’s magic before it becomes any more intense. The unicorn huffs angrily towards his friends for a brief second before turning back towards the path that laid behind us.

“Come on, Barb,” Dusk orders, all while motioning towards the road ahead of us with his nose. “Let’s get out of here.”

“A-are you sure, Dusk?” I ask after a pause, glancing back towards the cartoon-like fight cloud that had engulfed our two friends. “Shouldn’t we do something about this?”

Dusk snorts at the suggestion.

“I’m pretty sure they can work their way out of this themselves. That's what they did back in the Everfree Forest anyways, when they-”

Grumple~

The sound of the Dusk’s stomach eating itself cuts off whatever else he was trying to say. He blushes a second time before looking back down at me at his side.

“A-anyways, Barb; I’m starving. I don't know about you, but I can't make important decisions or help ponies on an empty stomach. I'll think about this stuff over lunch and get back to them later, okay?”

“O… okay,” I answer uncertainly. Eating lunch right now isn’t going to affect anything, right? That happened in the show too I think…

… I really wish I remembered more of this episode. There’s tickets, there’s fighting, there’s a lesson… but everything in between is one big old blank void in my mind right now. Applejack wanted to go for her family business, Rainbow Dash wanted to go for the Wonderbolts, Fluttershy wanted to go for the animals, Pinkie Pie wanted to go for… the party itself, I think? And Rarity wanted to go for… ugh! I can’t even remember anymore!

Focus, Barb; remember The Code. Time is a River and a Stone; I don’t have to be Spike one hundred percent in order for us to reach the endpoint of this day. I can be just me and that will be good enough. Same with the boys; they can be themselves just fine and still get the same results, no worries.

Even though Rainbow just kissed Applejack, which I know couldn’t have happened on the show, we’re still on track towards finishing this episode properly. I just have to have faith in all of them, and try to vaguely remember anything important Spike did besides simply being there for Twilight. As long as I do that, everything will be just fine…

… Though the one thing I do still remember is that there were only two tickets originally! Why did Solaris send us three this time? I think it’s safe to say that his ‘prettier’ self, Celestia, sent her student two tickets on purpose to instigate this lesson; I have enough evidence to prove at least that much. The Prince is doing the same thing now, but he’s doing it without the aid of my Sight. Taking myself out of the equation, logic would dictate that he should have done the exact same thing as Princess Celestia! What could be so different this time as to cause such a change...?

...

... Suddenly, the last few words I shared with Prince Solaris come rushing forward to the forefront of my mind.

“... About the only advice I can give is to just… do more. Like, give things more thought, and maybe keep Dusk and I more in the loop about things...”

…

…

...

… I find myself unable to do anything more but sigh.

“Solaris dammit,” I utter quietly under my breath as I follow Dusk into town for a well deserved lunch.

Entry 4, Part 2 (The Ticket Master)

…

…

… I…

…

… I wonder if it was... appropriate of me to say "Solaris Dammit" about the extra ticket like I did?

… I mean... I guess it’s not that big of a deal when I think about it. I swear in my head all the time! It’s a totally normal, everyday occurrence that I shouldn’t spare another thought towards. End of discussion.

...

…. But… the swearing isn’t the part that’s truthfully bothering me right now.

What’s bothering me is that…

… well…

… It’s just…

… I wonder if the… rumor about that particular swear is true.

The rumor that, by invoking the Princes’ name, he’ll be able to, t-to... see you, no matter where you are. ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Prince in vain’, or something of that effect.

Silly, right?

Yeah…

... Y-yeah! Completely silly! It's just another silly pony superstition, that’s all. Magic is powerful, sure… but Solaris can’t possibly see EVERYTHING like that! He’s just a regular old (X100) stallion at the end of the day, not a real god! He couldn’t possibly be spying on us all…

…

… Right?

“S-so who are you going to give the tickets to, Dusk?!” I loudly ask the pony carrying me into Ponyville. The volume of my voice is completely indicative of my curiosity towards my friend’s answer, and certainly not instead a ploy to drown out the growing sense of paranoia that’s threatening to overtake my mind and fill it with dark conspiracy theories tied to the sad state of the multiverse and reality as a whole along with all the horrific ramifications such an epiphany could yield that's terrifying enough to drive a lesser woman STARK RAVING MAD no siree Bob!

Definitely no deflecting here whatsoever!

Thankfully not sensing that I'm in the middle of my latest bout with existential horror, Dusk instead grunts out a basic response of, “I don’t know, Barb,” as he tilts his head to face me. His pace remains steady as he does so, his attention thankfully not too divided between walking and talking. The path ahead of us into Ponyville proper is helpfully free of obstacles and passersby, making it a relatively smooth ride. “But I really can’t think straight when I’m hungry.” I share that sentiment. “Sooo... where should we eat?”

Hmmmm… Good question. Goooood, distracting, question. Let’s see… I don’t have a real solid idea of where the restaurants are in Ponyville yet. The two of us have been in town long enough to know where to purchase our quills, furniture, and groceries... but that’s about it. No particular establishment comes to mind when I think about it either; neither from my real life recollections or from my foggy show knowledge. I half remember Twilight eating outside in one episode or two, but beyond that I'm drawing a blank…

… Ah! Wait! Sugarcube Corner! I can’t forget about that place! I know it’s not a real restaurant, but I’m sure the Cake’s will have a few good suggestions for us if we ask. I also think it's nearby where we’re traveling right now, so I bet if I look around I can probably spot i- Aha! Here it is right next to us! What are the odds? I wonder if BB is working here today as well…? Oh! He is! I can see him through the window, and he can see me! He’s waving... and now he’s jumping up and down... and now he’s launching himself towards the door and us at blisteringly high speeds…

…

… Wait wha

SMACK!!

I say, the ground and I are becoming quite the close couple today. He dashes to meet me, I come rushing to meet him; it’s quite the romantic love story if I do say so myself! I really should stop stringing him along like this though and tell him that I’m already married! Maybe then he’ll give me my space...

… Also yes, before you ask, I am totally counting reincarnation as an extension of the ‘until death do us part’ portion of my marriage vows. Please don’t judge me too harshly on this; my head is currently filled with more dirt, rocks, and pain at the moment than smarts so I might be just a tad bit loopy. Ow...

“Owie…”

Snatching the words from our lips, Bubble Berry moans out painfully on both mine and Dusk's downed behalves. From my homely new spot nestled between two stallions and the dirty country trail, I'm able to plainly make out the fact that the pleasantly pink pony is currently regretting his life choices; specifically his haphazard decision to greet us via a flying jump hug instead of literally anything else. Good grief... Guess I can’t fault a young stallion for his childlike enthusiasm towards seeing his friends. Hopefully he’ll learn how to simmer down that hype of his someday.

Though, if what I can still recall from the show is any indication, this won't ever be the cas-

"GGGGAAAAHHH!!"

My internal monologue finds itself cut short by Berry and his sudden ear-piercing screech of fear.

This day is going to end with a headache for sure, I can just feel it.

“GGAAAHHH!” continues to wail our resident party pony as he opens his eyes and discovers his vision obscured by the sight of the three tickets laying flatly across his face. “Oh sweet Solaris I’VE GONE BLIND!! BIG BRO KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME, BUT I DIDN’T LISTEN!! I DIDN’T LISTEN!! AHHHHH!!”

Forced back up right into standing positions, Dusk and I collectively sidestep around the wild stallion as he charges in place in a bid to rid himself of his newfound infliction of blindness. Oddly enough it works, in a roundabout fashion, as BB eventually does indeed manage to dislodge the tickets after a bit of effort. It doesn’t take him long to notice the return of his eyesight, nor does it take him long to notice the three golden pieces of paper now shining brightly in the afternoon sun.

“Ahhhh… Waaaiiit,” he then muses aloud, hardly taking the time to catch a breath in-between his abrupt screaming and his equally abrupt usage of regular Ponish. Just… roll with it, Barb. Just roll with it. “Is this…? This isn’t…”

And then, the next thing I know, actual real stars replace this pony's irises and shine out brightly for all to see.

Geez Louise how horrifying.

Sensing that Berry’s volume is about to spike into the stratosphere thanks to this revelation, the fins next to my ears instinctively fold in on themselves in order to protect me from what's about to come. Um... thanks for the save, dragon-based evolutionary traits... I guess?

“Tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?! THE Grand Galloping Gala?!?! D-Dusk,” titters the pony with the three ear piercings as he turns towards Dusk and dons a ravenous look. “Is this for real? Like, for real real?? G3 is, like, the most amazing incredible tremendous super-fun wonderful terrifically humongous party in all of Equestria!! I’ve always always always wanted to go there!!”

Suddenly there’s music in the air.

Like… real music in the air.

I believe I mentioned this earlier when I was last with Red Gala, but the ponies of Equestria really do sing and perform the songs we hear in the show. It's a quirk of Pony Magic that allows one’s inner feelings to resonate with the atmosphere around them, thus producing sounds akin to harps, trumpets, and even complex instruments like pianos.

In Berry’s case, I guess circus calliopes are on the metaphorical table now too.

I'm honestly not surprised.

“Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me~” bounces the young adult in place as his inner magic influences his surroundings. “Oooohhh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for meeee~ Hip hip, hooray! It’s the best place for me; for Beeeerrrryyy!!~”

Dusk and I can’t help but stare as BB begins to vibrate even harder in place, all while listing every single little activity there is to do at this darn event. I’m starting to think that breathing is optional for this pony.

“With decorations like streamers and fairy-lights and pinwheels and piñatas and pin-cushions…. With goodies like sugar cubes and sugar canes and sundaes and sun-beams and sarsaparilla! A-and and... Dusk! Barb!” squees Berry right before dragging the two of us into a tight bear hug. “We can even do my favorite-est of favorite fabulous pastimes of all time! The three of us…”

He leans in closer.

“... can get totally wasted there! Canterlot has gotta have that gooooood stuff!” My body unwittingly bobs to and fro as the earth pony continues to shake. “Eeeeee! This is going to be soooo much fun!!”

“... Barb is seven years old, BB,” Dusk states dully, clearly still dazed from the surprise pony contact.

With a nonchalant wave of a hoof, Berry tsks at this. “I’m sure they’ll have foal-size cups.”

“BB, that’s not the point," Dusk insists, pushing himself away from the hugger. "It’s illegal.”

“Hah! Oh Dusk," BB snickers as he drapes another hoof over his friend's withers. "Illegal is just a made up word by the fun police to keep life boring!”

“All words are made up,” my charge retorts before shaking his head to clear his daze. “I-I mean there’s no such thing as a ‘fun police’! There’s just real police, with real laws!”

“That’s just what the nofunminati wants you to believe!”

“The no fun-... what? BB, what the actual hay are you talking abo-”

But then Berry’s magic music conspicuously chooses to grow in volume right at this moment, drowning Dusk’s words out completely. “Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for meeeee!!~ Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for meeeeeee!!!~”

With a single huff, my oldest friend begrudgingly allows his own friend's song to reach its completion without further interruption. Sensing his frustration, and honestly feeling a ping of it myself, I lightly pat the side of the bookworm’s head in a silent show of support. Out of all of the new Elements of Harmony I fear that Bubble Berry is going to be the most difficult for Dusk to learn to accept/tolerate. I remember that being much the same case between Twilight and Pinkie Pie too so it’s not too grand a stretch to imagine.

Though his love of the drink is a bit concerning.

The production and consumption of alcohol in Equestria was not a subject that was ever fully fleshed out in My Little Pony, but that's a fact I'm not too shocked about. The writers wrote jokes later on involving the Apple's own cider, which were obviously supposed to be nods and winks towards the substance for adult watchers, but that's all they were; jokes. Often times children's shows will shy away from the subject all together under fear of causing controversy for deviating. Again I was never surprised by this because it was just the norm of kid's television back in my day. If it had gone down differently, with the reality being put on full display, I'm absolutely certain that parents (including myself) would have made our displeased voices loudly heard by all.

To put it bluntly, if this country's legal drinking age of thirteen was ever illustrated on My Little Pony proper I would have never allowed Ashley to watch it.

This explains a lot about Equestria to me and the many many many governmental and societal issues it has. Granted drinking isn't nearly as large of an industry in this world as it was back on Earth, and it's more often used as a social lubricant rather than a horrible anti-depressant, but it clearly has it's fangs in BB all the same. He's thankfully not a complete alcoholic, as I've yet to see him actually drunk, but he does seem to be quite the pusher. His family sells their own microbrew as a side project to their rock farming, which is a detail I'm unsure whether Pinkie Pie's family did too, so it's not that unusual that he's been bringing it up in one form or another ever since we met him. Dusk doesn't like to drink personally, thank goodness, but that hasn't stopped BB from trying to force a mug into his hoof at every opportunity.

BB has unfortunately also tried to do the same with me a few times already, which is strange because he doesn't make the same offer to other kids my age... My dragoness-ness must be throwing him off. A lot of ponies have a hard time telling my age too, not just him, so I suppose I can forgive him for such a common mistake. Hopefully he'll naturally stop offering it to me once he gets to know me better.

I can't exactly tell him; "Sorry, but getting killed by a drunk driver has left me with a deep seeded hatred for the stuff," after all.

Anyways; as I make my way over to pick up the downed tickets, I ponder now on how all the new Element Bearers' quirks and personalities was going to take time for me to get used to as well. They’re vastly different from their mare counterparts, as I have noted time and time again, and I’m still unsure how to process said changes.

To prepare myself for my new role in life as Dusk's aid, I had spent years prior to the Summer Sun Celebration trying to internalize what I could still recall about each pony’s individual nuances. Once the time had come to take advantage of this mental training, however... I found myself forced to throw out the whole gosh darn book! Berry the drinker is largely different to how I imagined he’d be, and so is both Applejack the loud and Rainbow Dash the fabulous. The same can be said of Butterscotch the giant as well, and as for Elusive… Elusive is… is...

“Gasp! Are these what I think they are?”

…right in front of me, isn’t he?

Yup… I was so focused on the task of retrieving the tickets, and so lost within my own thoughts, that I failed to notice the appearance of the white unicorn in question.

The same unicorn who had been inconspicuously burrowing a little hole in the back of my mind ever since I first laid eyes on him...

... Well… at least, since I first laid eyes on him in this life I should say.

The well groomed stallion pays me little to no mind as he stares longingly at the three tickets gripped tightly in my claws. If he noticed that I'm gawking too he doesn't show it. Though our one-way exchange only lasts for but a second or two, to me it felt like an excruciatingly long and awkward period of time. The small twitches his face made as he contemplated on the potential these tickets held; the way his eyes shone brightly as he daydreamed of possessing them, the tiny shake his nose made as his grin grew just the tiniest inch larger… They're all just small little tells and habits, that’s all. Just small little details, same as anyone else’s, that make this pony unique compared to his peers; mark him different from everypony else…

... But I had seen them all before. Every last twitch, tick, and wink.

I had seen them all on my husband’s face so very long ago.

Ugh... Though I've made a personal vow to live this new life of mine as the dragon I now am and not as the woman I once was, and though I've taken notable baby steps towards accomplishing this vow in earnest; little obstacles like this keep painfully anchoring me to the past whether I want them to or not.

“Yes, yes, yes,” cheers Berry from behind me, addressing Elusive’s earlier question and drawing the unicorn's attention away from the tickets. I’m left ignored as a result, but my staring continues regardless of the change. “Dusk’s taking Barb and I to the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot! He doesn’t want her drinking with us though… Hey! Do you want to go instead?! I’m sure little BarBar won’t mind!”

“The gala?” Elusive purrs lowly, unintentionally causing my heart to skip a beat. O-oh boy. “Why, I design suits for the gala every year, but I’ve never had the opportunity to attend!” The pony then spins in place, and allows himself to indulge in a bit of theatrics via the playing of his mane, and with the lifting of his chin. “Oh, the society, the culture, the glamour...” With the last whip of his mane and tail, and with the intentional slow fluttering of his eyelashes, the heartthro-, er, very pretty boy... whoiscertainlynotmakingmycheeksflushatall... finishes his 'modest' display with a confident decree that, “It’s where I truly belong…”

I involuntarily let out a small, dreamy sounding sigh while nopony is looking. Goodness, maybe my interests haven’t been regressed as far back romantically as I initially feared! That’s a comforting thought in a way.

“... and where I’m destined to meet… her.”

Or, at least it was a comforting thought, right up until Elusive let it all come crashing down on top of me.

“Haha, yeah! Her!” beams Berry cheerily, joining in his friend’s good mirth. His smile only lasts for a moment, though, before it’s transformed to mirror the same unsure expression now adorning Dusk's own face. Granting himself a second to reflect, BB once again steals my words as he unknowingly asks the question my mind is now burning with.

“... Who?”

Berry didn’t ask this question as passionately as I probably would have.

This is ultimately good.

This is the adult way to ask such a question.

“Her,” the white stallion elaborates. I feel a rock forming in the pit of my stomach. Is… is there a detail from the show I’m forgetting about here? “I would strut through the gala, and everyone would wonder, 'Who is that mysterious stallion?'” I can’t quite remember why Rarity originally wanted to go to the gala… “They would never guess that I was just a simple pony from little old Ponyville. Why,” Why can’t I remember this? “I would cause such a sensation that I would be invited for an audience with Prince Solaris himself,” You’ve already had an audience with the Princ- No, Barb, focus. “And the Prince would be so taken aback by my style and dignity…” Come on. “... that he would introduce me…” Think. “... to her.

“His niece.”

And, just like that… the final piece of a long incomplete puzzle reveals itself to me.

“The most beautiful, majestic unicorn mare in Canterlot…”

The puzzle of why Princess Bluebelle always looked so familiar to me.

“Our eyes would meet.”

I figured that her male half had to be a character from the show, but I couldn’t for the life of me determine who.

“Our hearts would melt.”

Eventually I chalked it up to him likely being a minor character and left it at that. Now though…

“Our courtship would be magnificent!”

... Now… n-now I can picture Bluebelle and Elusive... together at the gala.

“I will ask her for her hoof in marriage… and of course she would say…”

Her… and MY Elusive…

“Yes!”

…

… I feel like I'm gonna puke.

“We would have a royal wedding, befitting a prince,” begins to wrap up Elusive, his grand vision reaching its climax. I, meanwhile… am cold. Just… cold. “Which is, heh, what I would become upon marrying her, the mare of my dreams.” With a dopey smile upon his lips, the unicorn sighs in bliss as he replays his daydream over and over again inside his head.

My head, meanwhile, is blank and empty…

… Don’t get me wrong; a dangerous maelstrom of emotions and dark thoughts is raging within me as we speak… but I feel as though I am in the center of it all; in the eye of the conceptual storm.

I…

…

… I don’t know what my emotions are doing anymore.

Am I… sad? Disappointed? Confused? Hurt? Angry? Jealous? G, all of the above?

Is this feeling… right? Is it… wrong? Am... I wrong?

Is it right for me to feel this way, even though I'm trying to unshackle myself from my former life? Am I just too young now to process these feelings properly, or are they too jumbled up for even a real adult to decipher? Is crying an appropriate response to this new hurting in my chest, or would throwing a fit be more thematically correct for my position?

I…

…

… I can’t hold off this talk with Elusive any longer.

The next opportunity I get, the next millisecond we’re alone together, I need to confront him on who he is and who he used to be. If he's Jason's reincarnation as I've feared then I need to know what kind of person my death turned him into, and what kind of life he and our children led without me in it. As selfish as this is to say, I want closur-, no... I need closure if I'm ever to hope to be able to truly start my second life anew.

I need it if I'm ever to be free from the shadow of Barbara D. Burns...

... The world outside my mind rudely decides to continue on without me. With a confident smirk now adorning his lips, Elusive approaches my charge with all the swagger he can muster. “Dusk,” he grins like a predator. “Surely you’ll be my wingstallion in this endeavor of mine, yes? You’re of Canterlot blood, so you should be more than capable of stacking the deck in my favor!”

“Oo oo!” chimes in BB as he flails his hoof in the air like an impatient foal trying to get his teacher’s attention. “Can I help you get laid too, Elu-” A quick angry glare from Dusk, followed by his not so subtle nodding in my direction with his eyes, forces Berry to rethink his words for my 'innocence's' sake. “Er, I-I mean, can I help you find love too, Elusive?”

Choosing to ignore the original vulgar slip up, the white stallion chortles loudly for his enthusiastic companion's offer. Draping his forelegs over both Dusk and Berry’s withers in a brotherly embrace, he answers this request with an equally energetic degree of “Oh course you can, my fine sir! You can set the festivities alight with drink and song, Dusk will socially maneuver the pieces into place, and I…” He whips his mane for dramatic effect. “Will gladly do the rest!”

“Ahhhh yeah!!” bounces the Element of Laughter in place, leaving the embrace. “We’re gonna party so flipping hard that Elusive is going to become a prince! Can you two colts say; “Best Night Ever?!”

“Best Night Ever indeed,” nods Elusive happily, providing BB with a hoof bump.

“Um, guys?” Dusk tries to interject. “I didn’t agree to help Elusive hook up with mares yet…”

Hearing Dusk cringe in discomfort over his friends' pushiness manages to knock me out of my funk, and even allows me to smile a little. The situation might look lousy right now, and I assure you it most certainly still is, but I have to remember that this first season ends with the party going awry. Many details may be different in this dimension, but I’m certain that the gala will remain essentially the same. I may have three tickets in my claw now instead of two, but by the end of the day everypony will have one. Life will go back to normal afterwards, and then I’ll be able t-

Wait… Where are the tickets?!

“H-hey!” I cry out as I feel a small and furry creature dart quickly past my feet. Turning to face the little thief as she sped away, my eyes first drift downwards towards the fleeing form of a white rabbit… only for said eyes to immediately soar upwards in order to rest comfortably on the massive yellow form of the gentle giant known as Butterscotch.

The ticket pickpocket, who is the new arrival’s pet bunny Angelica, presents her ill-gotten goods to her master in as showy a manner as a bunny can manage. Butterscotch, as per usual, remains as quiet and unmoving as ever as these ‘gifted’ tickets are presented to him by his woodland companion. He’s as silent as the grave, which is probably why nopony else has noticed his presence yet.

How such a massive pegasus can so easily slink around undetected is anyone’s guess.

Despite his intimidating girth and presence, however, I’ve long since learned that he isn’t anywhere near as dangerous as the other ponies now vacating these streets probably think he is. Butterscotch is just as kind a soul as Fluttershy was, even if he's nowhere near as meek in body or attitude as her...

... This doesn’t mean he gets to keep those tickets though.

“Um… hey, Butters?” I call out, stepping closer to him. The pony’s pink bangs, as per usual, cover his eyes, but the slight turning of his head towards me is really all the visual cue I need to tell that he is listening. Hmmmm, I wonder if Butterscotch’s family has a yak in their tree somewhere? I met a yak once in Canterlot with Dusk back in the day. They’re large and loud creatures by nature, and Butters has at least one of those traits on lock-down for sure… But I’m getting distracted. “Can I get those tickets back please?”

The stallion hardly makes a sound towards my request. At first I worry that he wasn't able to hear me due to my size, as I am rather close to the ground compared to him, but then Butters tilts his head and draws his attention towards the rest of the colts present. Not sparing a word for me, Butterscotch grunts as he lifts up his hooves and begins to approach the rest of the group. I trail far behind him as he departs for this small journey, taking great care to not get squished underhoof in the process. It’s sadly a real possibility when dealing with this particular pony.

As we draw nearer to the gathering, I pick up the tail-end of the still ongoing conversation between our first three party members.

“Uh, listen guys,” Dusk speaks measurably. “I haven’t quite decided who to give the extra two tickets to yet…”

“You haven’t?” questions both Elusive and Berry hopefully. I doubt Dusk was able to bring up Rainbow or Applejack’s interests in the tickets, the poor boy. He’s really not used to navigating social landmines yet is he?

Unfortunately, Butterscotch is about to add another layer of stress to Dusk’s plate whether he wants him to or not. This pony is going to want to see those animals just as badly as Fluttershy did, I just know it. Unlike with his earlier ghost-like stealth that allowed Butters to approach our gathering undetected, the yellow stallion’s hooves now thunder loudly as he methodically makes his way closer to everypony else. All heads turn to him and Angelica’s stolen golden tickets as he slowly finishes his overly dramatic trot.

Silence now lingers over the market streets.

“...”

“... Um… Yes, Butterscotch?” Dusk cautiously inquires. “Were you… interested in going to the gala too?”

“... Yes,” speaks the pegasus at last, though he remains as still as a statue soon after.

“...”

“...”

“... Can I have my tickets back please?”

“... Okay.”

Without moving a muscle, or making any sort of movement that would suggest that an understanding was bridged between the two of them, Angelica nods to Butterscotch as she departs from his side. She then hops her bunny-self over to me and presents me with... two of the three tickets. The third remains squarely lodged between Butter’s head and ear, like a forgotten pencil.

“...”

“...”

“... Can I have all of my tickets back please, Butters?” Dusk asks politely with all the restraint he has left. “I haven’t decided who I want to bring to the gala yet.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“... Please?”

“... I’m going to the gala,” clearly states Butterscotch with an almost uncharacteristic level of finality. It’s enough to give the rest of us pause and stare dumbfounded at the usually timid stallion. Though we expected for him to elaborate on this further, Butters instead chooses to remain statuesque and unresponsive. The discussion on the topic was apparently over in his eyes.

Dusk’s own eyes, meanwhile, were visibly beginning to twitch.

“Oh well now this simply won’t do.”

Now all eyes are on Elusive… Or at least BB’s, Dusk’s, and my own eyes are now on Elusive. I'm not so sure about Butter’s...

“My good stallion,” addresses the posh unicorn towards the burly pegasus. “While I do appreciate your company, and only want the best for you, I have to sadly report that Dusk and I are already married to the idea of Bubble Berry joining us for this event...”

Berry bobs his head enthusiastically in agreement

“... Unless you can recommend a better approach for me to become the talk of the gala. In which case, Dusk and I may reconsider.”

Berry’s bobbing screeches to an unceremonious halt.

Elusive casually pony-shrugs at the resulting glare from his earth pony ally. “What? I like to keep my options open.”

“Is everypony forgetting that this is my decision?!” Interjects Dusk, raising his voice. “Guys! Stop it! This isn’t coo-!”

“Hey wait just a minute!”

“OH WHAT NOW?!” growls the greatly irritated scholar as his head scans upwards towards the latest speaker.

In a quick blur of chromatic colors, a rather disheveled looking Rainbow Dash lands gracefully onto the scene. Though he overlooks us from a vantage point atop Sugar Cube Corner, it’s quite easy to spot how his feathers are now completely ruffled; his left ear is red, his right eye is slightly swollen, and his lip is bleeding a fair bit. Outside of that, I’d say he’s not too worse for wea-

“Good heavens, Rainbow! You’re blood is ruining your lipstick!”

The four of us (even Butterscotch) cast an array of judgmental glances at Elusive for this outcry before returning our gazes towards Rainbow Dash. The pony in question is now descending from on high in order to talk to us face to face…

Fump

… Or, at least that’s what I assumed he was doing. Instead of landing on the ground like a normal pony would, Dash instead decided to land on Butterscotch’s back fluff and burrow himself in all comfy-like. Butterscotch doesn't flinch, or even so much as react for that matter, to being suddenly turned into a bird’s nest out of the blue. I… guess this must be a regular occurrence for the two? Maybe a foalhood friend tradition or the like? I vaguely remember the pair doing something similar when RD was sharing the group's heroics at Sugarcube Corner last week, and nopony is treating it like it’s all that strange right now except for Dusk and I, so I suppose I’ll just stop thinking about it.

Dusk doesn’t seem to have this same luxury as me, however.

Dusk looks like he’s about to burst a blood vessel, actually.

Please allow me to write these words down now for the record so that I may look back at this passage fondly years later and have either a right old laugh, or a right old cry.

Let it be known that I, Barbara The Dragoness, am incredibly happy that I am nothing more than a side character in the grand scheme of the show. I would not have been able to handle those crazed ponies as long as Dusk managed to do if I were in his horseshoes. Though it all turned out fine in the end, if it were me I would have most certainly ended such a disastrous day with a lot less friends.

Note to Self: Try to see if there’s enough ingredients in the kitchen to bake those nachos Dusk likes for dinner tomorrow night.

Note to Self #2: Don’t use The Poisoned Barb as a notepad.

Begrudgingly taking the sight of a pegasus nesting on top of another pegasus in stride, Dusk calls out through gritted teeth for his friend’s attention. “Rainbow Dash! Why’d you follow me?!”

From his perch atop Mt. Butterscotch, Rainbow tries to smile warmly at Dusk… but his injuries didn’t really add to the effect positively. “I wasn’t following you, Dusk! I swear! I-I was just making sure that I got my ticket before you forgot and- Oh!” Rainbow then calls out as he looks down and spots the third ticket still stuck neatly between Butterscotch’s head and ear. “Well… lookie here.”

He then smirks back towards Dusk mischievously.

“Sooo you took my advice to give the extra to Butters after all! Heh! Awesome! That means the three of us get to party it up together! You psyched to see the animals, Butters?”

Butters nods his head slowly ‘yes’, though this came with the unintended side effect of dislodging the third ticket and sending it tumbling to the ground. Spotting the opportunity, I sprint underneath the sea of pony legs and yank the wayward scraps out of the air. Having had enough of this twisted game of keep away, I proceed to make an executive decision to stow away these blasted slips into the depths of my purse until they’re needed once more. All of the colts were too busy arguing among themselves to catch any of this transpire, and that fact made me feel proud... at least in a childish sort of way. Hehe, just call me Barbara; The Ninja Dragon…

... Er… Or, on second thought, please don't actually call me that. ‘Ninja Dragon’ sounds like a cartoon my little Nathaniel would have woke up early to on Saturday Mornings. I’d rather not be associated with something so silly and juvenile, thank you.

… Said the baby dragon from the magical land of talking ponies... *cough*

“Dusk, why is Dash acting like you already said you were giving him and Butters tickets?” asks Berry suspiciously once Rainbow’s words were properly processed.

“Well, Berry, you se-”

“Dusk, you can’t seriously be thinking of letting Rainbow show off at the gala are you?!” gasps Elusive. “I need the mare of my dreams looking my way, not his… No offense, Dash.”

Rainbow wing-shrugs.

“All’s fair in being awesome, Elusive. If the ‘mare of your dreams’ is a Wonderbolt, then I’m afraid that I’m going to have to be ALL over that.”

“NOW WAIT JUST ANOTHER MINUTE YOU GOSH DARN LIAR!!”

Dusk is on the ground at this point, rocking back and forth with forelegs over his head, as a heavily beaten Applejack comes hobbling his way into the center of Our Little Mob.

“Ah know that ah didn’t just hear you say that you were goin' up there for mares,” fumes the apple pony as he stretches an accusing hoof into Rainbow’s elevated face. “If you’re gonna try to steal the Apple Family’s tickets to this here shindig, then you better at least tell the truth about it!”

“The truth?” Rainbow scoffs, not leaving his yellow pegasus throne. “About what? If I want to be a Wonderbolt, I have to be willing to do anything…”

He then leans in closer to Applejack’s face.

“... Anything~”

“Um… I want to see the rabbits, Dash.” Butterscotch chimes in gently.

As small and innocent sounding as those last few words were, they were unfortunately the final cracks needed to burst the entire angry dam wide open.

Now everypony is trying to talk over one another and everypony is trying to out yell the other in a pathetic attempt to tilt the scales in their favor. As their voices grow ever louder, and as they approach ever closer to one another, Dusk, the unlucky "monkey in the middle", is being forced to endure all of it until whatever little patience he has in him can't seem to handle the abuse any longer.

Trust me, folks; though it doesn’t look like it, this is serious progress for my charge.

“QUIET!!!”

You see, the old Dusk Shine would have skipped town right around the first time he had saw Rainbow Dash today. This new one hasn’t even threatened to turn a pony into a potted plant yet!

I’m so proud.

Once this call for silence is at last recognized by the rest of the group, the boys calm themselves down into a shape that vaguely resembles a civil gathering...

“And then I said, “Screwdrivers? Are you craz-" Oh. Sorry.”

… plus Berry.

A civil gathering plus Berry.

“Guys,” pleads a visibly tired and hungry Dusk Shine. Our poor friend is clearly tapped out and I don’t blame him. “There’s no use in arguing.”

“But Dus-”

With a wave of a hoof, Dusk cuts off Elusive’s rebuttal before he can finish. “Eh! This is my decision, and I'm gonna make it on my own…” He then glares at every last one of us, including me. Huh? What did I do? “... and I certainly can't think straight with all this noise!” Thanks to comedic irony, it’s at this moment that Dusk’s stomach decides to eat itself quite audibly. “Not to mention hunger…” Though he blushes in embarrassment, Dusk refuses to back down as he waves his hoof at us all angrily. “Now go on… shoo!”

A chorus of upset grumbles is the pony’s only reward, but at least his friends are finally backing down. As we all head our separate ways, I can hear Dusk’s last words as he tries to assure us that he’ll figure this all out... somehow.

My heart goes out to the poor boy. With a sigh as I round the corner and continue on my path, I whisper to myself, “I know you will, Dusk. You’ll figure this out in no time. Solaris and I have faith in you, so just have faith in yourself and you’ll make it through this trial. You’ll make it through all the future trials! Just believe in yourself like we do and you wil-”

I then halt completely in my tracks, having been cut off by a rogue thought.

… Wait…

...

“... Why did I leave too?”

…

… Checking my purse, I confirm that yes; I still have the tickets.

More importantly though, I was asked to hold onto Dusk’s bits and house key while he was working at Sweet Apple Acres today. Said bits and key are still in my purse...

...

… With cheeks blushing red, I hurry myself back to Dusk’s waiting side. With his own cheeks tinted just as pink due to the oversight, the two of us share a quick awkward apology before resuming our long overdue search for lunch.

I wonder if any place around here serves gems?

Author's Notes:

Seriously though, in the original episode Spike leaves with the rest of the ponies, but then in the next scene he's with Twilight again! Randomly disappearing in and out of a scene is one thing, but ignoring scene continuity is inexcusable and only makes my job harder X_X

... Anyways, thank you all for your patience while I was sorting my life out. Expect another chapter next week, and another after that! We will be finishing this episode and the next before 2020 begins ^_^

Love,

-Derply

Entry 4, Part 3 (The Ticket Master)

Decisions decisions decisions... As we travel down the twisted path of life, full of highs and lows and everything in between, each of us will be forced to make an innumerable amount of life-altering decisions before our souls will be allowed to finally rest.

Life-altering decisions like whether to say yes or no to a marriage proposal.

Life-altering decisions like whether to stay with your desk job or to instead branch out and pursue a career in writing.

Life-altering decisions like whether to name your first born child Alexis or Ashley.

And, most importantly of all, life-altering decisions…

“Am I more in a sandwich, or a carrot dog mood today? Hmmm...”

… like what the heck are you going to eat for lunch.

“I want to have something greasy though,” I murmur under my breath as my eyes scan the entirety of the menu held firmly in my claws. “Hmmm...”

The Three-Leaf Chateau is certainly not the fanciest restaurant Dusk and I have ever visited. If it were to be placed alongside the assortment of other eateries available back in Canterlot, there’s little that would set this place apart from the rest. It’s outdoor dining area is haphazardly arranged with piles of hay being used in lieu of actual chairs, it’s menu is basic with only a clawful of interesting sounding options, and I’m not really sure what the deal is with the three-leaf clovers scattered all over the place. Ponies can eat the stuff, sure, but it’s kind of like if a bakery were to decorate their building with actual loafs of bread coming out of the floorboards, or placed right in the stalls in the restroom. Gross, right?

Questionable aesthetics and joking aside, I’m honestly not that picky when it comes to where I’ll eat my meals. As long as the food is tasty it doesn't matter to me whether the restaurant itself is a five-star establishment... or a rundown food truck with a cook who doesn’t speak English/Ponish. Dusk thankfully shares a similar mindset to myself, so when it came down to finally settling on a place to eat the Three-Leaf Chateau had the one and only thing we were truly looking for at the time; two empty seats.

High standards, I know, but the Chateau still provided. Now hopefully the rest of the dining experience will be just as accommodating.

Judging by the fact that the hors d'oeuvres being served is the classic pony snack of flowers with a side of nothing, I’m not going to hold my breath. I could really go for a few dinner rolls right about now.

“Sigh… Barb, what am I gonna do?”

Maybe if I had even the tiniest scrap of real food in me I could provide better support for Dusk’s current dilemma.

The stallion sitting across from me looks downtrodden and miserable. He hasn’t even picked up his menu yet despite clearly starving. The confrontation with his friends must have drained poor Dusk of all his energy, to which I can fully understand. He's barely become accustomed to interacting with colts his age and now he’s being sacked with such a heavy burden... It's just not fair.

I’m remembering bits and pieces of this episode as the day moves forward, which means that I now know with certainty that there’s going to be a few more scrapes for us to suffer through before this roller coaster comes to a satisfying end. Despite knowing this truth, there’s little I can do to lessen my friend's struggles and there’s little I should be doing either. This is a lesson Solaris felt that Dusk needed to learn, so it’s not my place to interfere or object...

… doesn’t mean I have to like it though.

“All five of my best friends have really good reasons to go to the gala,” laments Dusk Shine as he lays his head on the table. With a pink flare of magic, he plucks one of the appetizer flowers from it’s vase and begins to mindlessly play with it’s pedals. “Bubble Berry and Elusive? Or Rainbow Dash and Butterscotch? Then there’s Applejack and his family… Oh, who should go with me? Which combination of friends?”

Ggggrrr

It’s at this moment that Dusk’s stomach decides to remind us that he's also still present and also still hungry. As if summoned by the monstrous rumbling of the rogue digestive system, a waitress approaches our table ready to assist. “Have you made your decision yet, sir?” asks the earth pony as she smiles kindly, awaiting our order.

This, however, was a poor choice of words on the mare’s part.

“I CAN’T DECIDE!” wails Dusk in anguish, startling both the server and the rest of the restaurant's guests. Guess these ponies will be getting dinner and a show tonight… er… or, at least lunch and a show… today.

Cringing at my charge’s mistake (and maybe a little bit at my dumb joke too), I lower my menu a tad and gently explain, “Dusk, she just wants to take your order.”

I can see the gears turning in the unicorn’s head thanks to these words. They’re moving a bit slower than usual thanks to his stress and hunger, but at least they're still moving at all. “O-oh,” stutters Dusk as he regains his senses. “I’ll… ahem, have a daffodil and daisy sandwich please, ma’am.”

Upon recovering from the outburst, the mare resumes her smiling as she commits the order to memory. She then turns to me. I think I know what I want… buuuttt, just out of curiosity…

“Do you have any sapphires?” I ask her.

The only response I receive for my inquiry is a flat look. The pony is also no longer smiling.

“No?” I nod disappointingly, catching the hint. Worth a shot I guess. “Okay… I’ll have some hay fries,” I order as I toss the menu behind me into the marked basket for them. “Extra crispy.” I'm not usually so forward with my orders, but I feel that you should always state your requests as plainly as possible so that both the waiter and the cook can get the complete message. It makes the server's life a hell of a lot easier when they're not constantly running back and forth with corrections. Proper restaurant manners are multiversal, folks...

… That being said though, as I spy the waitress now writing our orders down on her little notepad, I can clearly see her marking mine down as just plain old ‘fries’ and nothing more...

...

… Sorry, but I think this girl and I are about to start a fight here in a second. I don’t care that I barely come up to her chest in height; you do not mess with a dragon’s food order, let alone a dragoness’ order! This will not go unheard! This will not go unanswered for! There will be retribution!

There will be blood.

In a move that I can only assume was due to her sensing my growing anger (or, more logically, her wanting to simply do her job), the working pony chooses to smartly walk away before I’m able to properly rain hellfire down upon her. Yeah you better run.

“What do you think, Barb?” Dusk Shine asks me searchingly, unconcerned with the great injustice that was about to transpire.

“I think we have to try another restaurant,” I state bluntly as I glare at the waitress lazily taking our orders inside the main building. “I mean, I like grass just fine, but would it hurt anybody to offer some gemstones?” Mentally I add, “Or some better service.”

On a side note; it’s not that crazy of me to assume that a town located right next to a freaking gem cave would serve a few of them on their own menus, right? Dragons aren't the only creatures who eat those things you know!

Before I can ponder on this any further, Dusk scoffs at me for my words. “I mean about the gala and the tickets and who I should take!” This causes me to turn my head back towards him.

Nodding in newfound understanding, I utter lowly an exasperated sounding, “Oh,” as I shift my tail and try to get more comfortable in my seat. Maybe my own sense of hunger is impeding my judgment, but I find myself unable to care enough to filter my words as I groan out a frustrated “You’re still on that?” in reply.

In my defense for my own terrible choice of words in the heat of the moment, I was well and truly famished by that point in the afternoon. Again, snack-time is the most important time for a growing baby dragon; one that should never be missed, skipped, or taken for granted.

That’s my excuse and I’ll be sticking to it thank you.

Before I know what's happening, the table’s flower vase is knocked aside as my companion’s angry face pushes itself uncomfortably close to my own. “Barb, listen,” Dusk demands crossly, causing me to sink down deeper into my messy seat of hay. I have made a mistake.

I have made a grave mistake.

My frantic unicorn continues. “How do I choose?” he pleads with me. “And when I do choose… will the other three be mad at me? I-I mean, I could give up my own ticket and give away all three, but that would still leave two disappointed ponies. What… what if I-”

In between the span of one breath and the other, our waitress speedily returns in record time with our individual orders. “Your food, sir.” she chimes expertly in her accent as she distracts Dusk with his long awaited sandwich. This has the unintentional side effect of freeing me from my charge’s latest bout of ire...

...

… Okay… I guess I owe you one for the timely save, random waitress pony. May your immediate future be completely fire and dragon free…

… at least for now.

With food at last placed before me, I take advantage of the momentary break in the conversation to dig greedily into my generous helping of deep fried grass with ketchup. I find the simple dish actually quite delectable, or at least more delectable than what I was expecting it to taste like. They’re not extra crispy like I like them (or like I freaking ASKE- deep breaths, Barbara. Deep breaths), but I suppose they’ll do… Also, before you ask; no, hay fries aren’t a secret delicacy that humans would have never thought to try. I’m fairly certain that they probably taste the same on Earth as they do here in Equestria. I’m going to assume that my newfound enjoyment of them is due to the odd tastebuds this world deemed fit to gift me with and nothing more. I used to like peaches in my original body, for example, but now I can’t stand them. It's weird, but whatever.

“Oh thank you,” Dusk happily chimes as the mare walks away. By this point I’m already well into my own plate; thus was the power of my hunger. “This looks sooo good!” With dulled interest due to years of witnessing unicorn magic firsthand, I watch as the flowery sandwich is ‘miraculously’ gripped within Dusk’s hued telekinesis and lifted upwards towards his awaiting lips. “I’m sure everything will be much clearer once I eat.”

Well, it’s certainly working for me at least. My world is getting brighter, my thoughts are getting sharper, and I’m thankfully feeling much less cranky. My memory is also becoming clearer, which means I can now recognize this restaurant from the show and, more importantly... I think I remember this restaurant scene too! Said scene, if I’m recalling things correctly, is about to shift right about...

Rumblerumblerumblerumble

… now.

Sorry, Dusk, but I think you just unwittingly doomed yourself with your mere words.

As if on cue, our table and plates begin to rattle and shake as a literal stampede of ponies push their way past us and into the Three-Leaf’s inner diner. The nameless mare from earlier holds the door open for the fleeing horde and, once the last pony scuttles their way inside the keep, she calls out to us. “Em, sir? Are you going to eat your food in ze rain?”

This gives Dusk pause.

More importantly, it gives me pause.

I definitely remember this restaurant now, and I’m pretty sure Twilight either heads home after this or instead goes over to Rarity’s place… but I don’t remember the reason why she did either of those things. Was there rain involved? Now that I think about it... the paper did say that the weather brigade was going to be triggering minor showers in the afternoon today. It must be around that time…

… Oh, yeah! I can totally see the clouds being pushed into position now! Right on schedule, the rain begins to fall in blinding sheets all around us.

All around us, except for over our little lunch table.

“It’s… not raining,” Dusk answers confusedly as a literal curtain of rainwater is raging as he speaks.

Blinking slowly, I stare dumbfounded at my usually bright young man’s completely false statement.

Wow. Just… wow.

This is what we in the O&O scene like to call ‘failing a spot check’.

Fretting that I might need to schedule a future ophthalmologist appointment for Dusk isn’t going to solve a darn thing, so I’ll just blame his reaction on the same lunch-deprived headspace that tripped me up too and leave it at that. Whatever the case may be, the waitress should have warned us about the upcoming scheduled rainfall before we even sat down. That’s what restaurants in Canterlot do at least, even the fast food ones!

Remind me not to tip her when we leave.

“What’s… going on?” finally questions Dusk upon noticing our strange little oasis in the middle of this wet ‘desert’. Oh, right, I guess that’s still an unanswered question. I was so distracted with Dusk’s possible need for glasses, and mentally vowing to never eat here again, that I completely forgot about our current situation. I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but was this shower in the show as well? With the weather the way it is here in Equestria I would have to assume that it did rain too, but why is our spot still so high and thankfully dry…?

...

… Wait… Which one of our new friends is a part-time Weather Pony aga-

“Hi there, best friend forever I’ve ever ever had! Enjoying the sunny weather?”

Oh now it’s all coming back to me!

Holding back a slowly growing chuckle, I spare the sight of Rainbow Dash beaming down at us from on high a courtesy glance before resuming my lunch in earnest. I remember how this part goes down now, and I’m fairly sure that I’m not going to get another chance to eat in a moment or two here. Rainbow Dash was one of Ashley’s favorites growing up, you see, and I remember her tiny self laughing hard over this part in the show. She played it over and over again on the DVD, as children have a habit of doing, and she reenacted it countless times with her toys and a collection of fluffy pillows. Despite the changes in sexes and dimensions, I bet I can still quote most of this.

Let’s try… Dusk will next say, “Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?”

“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?”

Hah! I was right!

Now… Rainbow’s next words will be “Whaddya mean? I just saw the smartest, most generous pony about to get rain-”

“Oooohhh I’m just holding your lunches ransom until you give Butters one of those tickets! That’s all~”

My claw remains outstretched and frozen in mid hay-fry-grabbing position as I halt in place and proceed to savor the taste of my own foot in my mouth.

I really need to stop pretending that I’m a know-it-all when I’m clearly not.

Impressively, despite his starvation, Dusk remains calm and unmoved in the face of the Element of Loyalty’s abrupt threat. “Rainbow, I know you want at least Butterscotch to go, but strong-arming me isn’t going to sway my opinion!”

Equally unthreatened, Dash strategically moves his head forward so that it’s now blocking out the sun. Whether he did this to produce a halo effect so as to appear more innocent, or to instead forcefully draw his usually feminine features into the shadows to appear more sinister I’m unsure.

“Dusk,” states the pegasus in a defiant voice. “Look, man, I like you. I think you’re a cool guy! They’re your tickets and it’s your call… but you have no idea how long Butters has wanted to go to the gala!”

“Rainbow-”

“He talks about it every year.”

“Rai-”

“And sure he might be a bit bias towards who he’ll want to go with besides you… *coughcoughmecough*... b-but I’m just sticking up for somepony who never speaks up for himself!”

“R-”

“You had to have chosen me for that Loyalty trinket thing for a reason, Du-”

“RAINBOW DASH!!”

In a single loud burst, Dusk at last manages to break through to the surprisingly passionate Rainbow Dash.

“Dash,” the furious stallion starts over, glaring up at the other stallion present. “I’m not going to choose before lunch, and I am not comfortable being guilted into a decision on this, so I’d appreciate it if you close up that rain cloud right now.”

“Bu-”

“Right… now.”

There’s a pause.

“... Ugh, fine.”

With a sound not unlike a zipper being pulled, Rainbow Dash manipulates the darkened clouds above us with his pegasus magic until the skyline is once again dominated by a single sheet of unending grey. With a content little nod of his head, Dusk states “That’s better,” before picking his sandwich back up and attempting yet again to take his first bite.

Drip drip... dripdripdripdripdrip

Unfortunately, unlike the bulk of their conversation, the aftermath of Rainbow Dash’s and Dusk’s little exchange plays out exactly how I remember it did from the show. In the blink of an eye both mine and Dusk’s lunches are simultaneously ruined by our newly awarded slice of afternoon precipitation.

Needless to say, Dusk is not pleased.

With sandwich ruined in front of him, and with mane laying flat and wet across his face, my friend looks absolutely miserable…

… which doesn’t stop me from giggling one bit.

I really shouldn’t laugh at his misfortune… but… well… the comedic timing of his words and the rain was legendary. Stuff like that only happens in cartoons, and while yes that’s what My Little Pony initially was for me I’ve been living here for almost eight years! This world is grounded in normal rules and expectations, despite all the magic and talking ponies. It’s why Bubble Berry’s show-quality quirks never fail to freak me out!

Seeing a gag like this in real life is, well, funny. So sue me if I laugh a little bit, even if I probably shouldn’t.

… Though I’ll admit that I’m unsure if I’m supposed to be laughing at Elusive’s saddle umbrella thing as well here. I'm unsure of it's intention.

The approaching stallion is wearing a collection of uniquely decorated rain equipment across his back. Though attached to the setup is a practical looking one pony umbrella, I’m unsure why it needs to be part of a rider’s saddle, or why it needs to be adorned with flowing designs and tasty looking gems. Is it in style? Jason often sewed his own patterns into his umbrellas too, sure… but that was a decision I understood even less back then! Who are you supposed to be showing that off too? The rain?? Normal people and ponies caught in the rain tend to focus on looking for places where they can go to get out of said rain! Often times they’re not taking the time to admire each other’s gear! Jason may have taught me a lot about fashion, but there’s still a lot I don’t understand even to this day.

Ugh. To each their own I suppose.

“Dusk,” calls out our latest arrival. Dusk does not answer, nor does he turn his head towards the speaker. “It’s raining.”

“No,” my charge retorts with venom, visibly nearing his limit. “Really?”

Though I cringe at this, Elusive hardly seems to have noticed Dusk’s less than friendly choice of tone. “Come with me before you catch a cold,” the white stallion next insists, forcefully reaching out and yanking his friend from his dining spot. He then whisks him away under the cover of his umbrella towards what I can only assume is his boutique.

“H-hey wait for me!” I cry out upon realizing that I’m being left behind. Digging into my purse, I produce a small clawful of bits and throw them on our table before pumping my legs and dashing after the two departing stallions…

…

…

… Returning briefly to the table, I take back a few of my bits before turning around and resuming the chase in earnest.

Thankfully the Carousel Boutique isn't located that far off from the Three-Leaf Chateau. By the time I catch up with everypony, I can easily spot them drying themselves off within the confines of the fancy looking structure. Following suit; I drag my dripping wet self inside, properly close the bell-adorned door behind me, and then set my purse down so that I can try to pat myself dry too. One nice thing about being technically a reptile (and nude as well, I guess) is that rain doesn’t really bother me here like it did back on Earth. I’m okay with being slightly wet so long as I’m not dripping on the floor and so long as I’m not too cold.

Dragon supremacy aside; my decision to stop in place by the doorway ultimately proves to have been an excellent split-second choice, as the delay prevented me from unintentionally entering Dusk’s ‘firing range’. Shaking the water off himself like a dog, as is the norm for drenched ponies both sentient and non, the young stallion accidentally splashes his unicorn kin in a surprise shower of brisk water. Embarrassed by his mistake, Dusk weakly snickers as he squeaks out a tiny, “Oops, sorry.”

I catch a slight twitch in Elusive’s eye thanks to this, but it swiftly disappears as the wet pony laughs off the inconvenience.

“Oh, no, it’s quite alright,” he replies with questionable honesty. “After all, we are…” The waterlogged stallion then side-hugs Dusk Shine and brings him in closer towards himself, producing a squishing sound. “The best of friends,” he finishes, tightening his hold. “Are we not?”

He then lets my friend go, which causes him to take an involuntary step back. Not having any of that, our host next entwines Dusk’s forelegs with his own as he stares eagerly into his captive’s eyes.

“And you know what the best of friends do?” he then asks knowingly.

“Uh…” speaks Dusk nervously, his eyes darting towards me and screaming a silent cry for help. I’m… not really sure what he’s expecting me to do about all this to be honest. Being useless seems to be the sad norm for me today.

Even if I did remember this part from the show, I’m too awkward when it comes to talking to Elusive. I just haven’t sorted my head out about him yet. I’ve not been granted the opportunity to talk to him about his whole deal yet either, so stepping in is completely off the table for me. I… I-I just don’t know what I would say…

So, with that having been established; I really have zero power in preventing Elusive from now shouting something odd, though not unprecedented, to hear coming from a boy’s mouth.

“Makeovers!”

Guess I know now why Rainbow and him seemed like good friends already back during Dusk’s Welcome to Ponyville Part-

WHAM!

Hold that thought for a sudden news bulletin; apparently I also have zero power over being launched like a flipping missile through the air upon being whacked with the broadside of a levitated changing curtain. Owie.

Oh how I hate hate hate physical comedy.

Also, while we’re here interacting with and addressing the handsome elephant in the room; I might as well point out how for a pony who can speak English perfectly, and who clearly knows how rare such a thing is here in Equestria, this stallion, whoever he is, seems to not want to so much as acknowledge that I’m in the same room with him today. Maybe it’s because he’s so focused on going to that stupid gala, but he didn’t even attempt to say ‘hi’ to me back when I returned to Ponyville earlier this week. Sure none of the other guys did either, but the point is is that Elusive doesn’t seem to have the same sense of agency in this matter as me…

...

… He... might not care about it as much as I do…

...

… He might not care about me at all…

…

… SMACK

Ah. There’s the wall.

I was wondering when I was finally going to stop sailing and hit this darn thing. Double owie. Hopefully my noggin will still be intact enough by the end of this horrible day for me to write all this stuff down.

And it was. Hurrah for dragon scales and genetically thicker skulls.

I guess that technically makes me a bonehead.

Meanwhile, Dusk was enduring a similar trial of unrequested agony to my own. His torture took the form of being forcefully dressed up by a enthusiastic Elusive, to which I’m unsure whether that’s better or worse verses being thrown directly into a wall like I was.

By the sound of it, it’s worse.

“Ugh, Elusive, ow, this really isn’t… I-I mean, thank you but, oH! That’s too tight…”

Dusk’s cries of discomfort causes me to wince and puts my own current pain into perspective. Maybe I was actually the lucky one in this exchange. As I pick myself off the ground from where I landed, I turn and watch as the changing panel is carefully moved aside. Side note; changing panels and rooms are more traditional than practical in Equestria due to historical reasoning, but I’ll explain all this at a later date. Right now I’m more interested in evaluating Dusk’s new look.

“There,” Elusive chimes as he wipes sweat from his brow in admiration of his own work. “Oh, you’re simply dashing.”

You know… he’s not wrong. Dusk does look pretty dapper in that new navy blue dress shirt of his, and in that dark plum suit jacket. A rainbow of gems make up the buttons, alternating between green, yellow, and blue respectively. There’s even a little yellow tassel along the back vent… I like it! It’s pretty. I wonder if Elusive has a camera around here so I can send a picture or two to Dusk’s parents?

Having been granted a moment to breathe and look himself over too, Dusk reluctantly admits the same. “Um, yeah, it is kinda cool, isn’t it?”

As I continue to admire the ensemble from afar, I find myself knocked out of my thoughts as Elusive rushes hurriedly over to my side. Ah! I wanted his attention, but not that quickly!

“And you,” purrs the stallion of my dreams, making me feel uncomfortably hot. “Oh Barbara, I have a quaint little outfit for the lovely little lady.”

With cheeks burning red, I take a cautious step back.

This was unfortunately not quick enough to escape Elusive’s fabulous ‘wrath’. With the privacy screen now placed squarely between the two of us and Dusk, I find my wish to be alone with this suspicious unicorn surprisingly fulfilled. The stallion hums to himself as he levitates over a rack of children’s clothes and begins to take one down.

“Um… E-Elusive,“ I stutter out, trying to catch his attention. “Hey, Elusive…?”

My plea goes ignored. I fear that he is, as my husband used to say as well, in the zone.

“Elusive?” I try again, this time whispering a little louder.

“...Fro tet cra ryja du lusa pylg? Not now.”

“Wha?” I ask, unsure if I had just heard something from him or not.

“... Not... now...”

Huh? What is he mumbling to himself? “Wh-”

Before I can finish my words, I find one of my arms roughly gripped in a field of magic and yanked forward.

“Ow!” I cry as I feel fabric being forcefully draped over my arm. “Hey!”

Again ignored, I close my eyes and feel it as I'm tugged and pushed every which way in order to painfully get shoved into a dress. A necklace is wrapped around my neck, a bow is being lanced onto my tail, and I think I just got dabbed with... makeup? The sensations only last for but a second or two before I feel a whoosh of air as the privacy screen is once again tossed to the side.

“Oh, Barb,” chuckles Dusk to himself cheekily.

Not liking that tone, I reopen my eyes and try to look myself over.

There’s a bright red ribbon wrapped around my tail now. The bodice of my dress is a blinding pink, and so is my skirt. I’ve been forced into little red heels that shine slightly, and at some point a blond wig had been placed on my head…

“Now you just need a bonnet…” muses my dresser/assailant mere moments before tying a scarlet colored one to my head. Combined together with the rest of the ensemble, this getup, is… cute.

This getup is… childish.

This getup…

… is cheap.

The shoes are plastic and covered with hastily applied glitter. The wig is old and it’s inner hem is falling apart. The bonnet’s strings are thin, which makes it feel like it came off of a toy doll. Most damning of all; the dress doesn’t have any of Elusive’s usual flare. There’s no gems, the stitching looks less than rock-solid, and every inch of the dresses’ design screams ‘lack of effort.’

Every inch of it screams ‘a play dress for foals'...

… But this must have been intentional, oh yes. I can tell that Elusive wasn't trying to seek my approval with this display. Not at all.

If he were… then why are his eyes still glued on Dusk's?

This was just a showing of generosity; a ploy to get those damn tickets for himself, just like Rainbow Dash did. I shouldn’t be surprised. I remember now that every main character is going to try to appeal to Dusk, even if I can’t recall exactly how anymore. I shouldn’t be surprised one bit…

… but… it means that Elusive well and truly doesn’t care about me. I could feel it as he dressed me. His actions were completely devoid of the delicate touch I had grown to expect from my long lost love. Despite everything; despite our shared language, the sheer ramifications of its existence on this planet, and his 'promise' to tell me the truth back when he assumed I was not staying in Ponyville for more than a day… he doesn’t care.

He well and truly doesn’t care about me at all.

…

Dripdripdripdripdrip

… The sound of rain striking the Carousel’s roof envelops my mind...

“... I…”

…

“... I-I told you I don’t want any part of these stupid grody gala games!” I declare angrily, glaring up at the two ponies present in the room.

But neither of them spare me a glance for my outburst.

Not even Dusk...

"..."

... In anger I rip the stupid kid crap off of myself and throw it to the ground. Madly wiping the makeup off my face, I next stomp over to the entrance, pick up my purse, and spare a single glance back towards the two young stallions.

Dusk continues to ignore me, as does Elusive.

“... See you back at the library,” I call out to my charge, pitifully trying to gain any sort of acknowledgement that I was being heard before I left.

Still nothing.

"..."

... Dingalingaling

Despite the rain's remaining presence outside, I open the entrance door and prepare to depart regardless of it. The sound of water splashing to the ground intensifies as I take my first step forward.

Right before I do, I hear a single rough “Hah!” leave Elusive’s refined lips. I turn to look as he continues to address Dusk. “Oh, who needs her anyway-”

SLAM!!

These were the last few words I hear from the unicorn before I smash his blasted portal closed behind me and willingly enter the storm’s icy embrace.

Entry 4, End (The Ticket Master)

Author's Notes:

On this day, in 2014, I posted the first chapter of The Poisoned Barb...

... Thank you all for 5 wonderful years

Though my dramatic exit may have seemed super intense and emotional from how I just finished describing it, I’ll freely admit that the act came off more like a temper tantrum than anything truly substantial or head turning. I was just a kid throwing a fit about her dress, that's all. The adult in me will admit that it was immature to behave as such, like a child, but hindsight now tells me a different tale; one where I was not completely in the wrong for my actions.

The honest reality was that I was undisputedly in a dark place at the time.

When the world does nothing but push against you, I believe that it's only natural for one to want to push back against it out of spite. I don't think anyone reading this can deny that I have plenty of "push back" to work with if I ever wanted to do just that, but I hadn't really considered until now how a good portion of this frustration stems from nowhere else but within my own mind.

You see; not only was I being ignored by ponies who I thought cared about me deeply, but I had also failed to remember what was quickly dawning on me to be an important episode of My Little Pony. My lack of readiness for the day had made me feel all sorts of useless, which in turn fed into the negative thoughts and feelings that are always on my mind in one form or another; thoughts and feelings concerning my role and place in this universe, for example.

Prince Solaris’ speech about time being both a River and a Stone kept replaying in my memories as the rain continued to fall and even after it stopped. I tried to convince myself that The Code meant that I shouldn’t be so upset over the inevitability of these events, and that my "happy" future was guaranteed so long as I stuck to the script, but my injured heart wasn’t having any of that baloney. It ached in ways I can’t properly articulate with words, written or otherwise. Elusive

As Applejack trotted past me with a wagon full of treats to bribe Dusk with, and as I silently watched as Butterscotch led a literal army of woodland creatures ahead of me towards the library, I found myself detached from the story and uncaring as to whatever was to happen next.

The act of not caring, however, is harder to follow through on when a surprise offer literally blindsides you at damn near terminal velocity.

SMACK!!

“Ow.”

Okay... is it national hurt-a-baby-dragon day and nopony told me, or am I really just this unlucky?! Hopefully I won’t bruise from all this stupid abuse.

With sulky thoughts now swirling in my head... well, more than there was a minute ago at least... I rub my pained noggin with a claw as I pick myself up and then lift with me the latest cause of my discomfort.

A red rubber ball is now sitting comfortably in my two claws. It’s almost as big as my head.

“S-sorry about that, Barb!”

These words cause me to blink in surprise.

Wait… I recognize that voice crack!

Sure enough, upon lifting my head from the orb and scanning the slightly wet streets, I quickly spot the sight of two familiar looking colts.

“You really suck at this game, Sweepy,” snickers the cheeky pegasus I knew to be Scooteroll to his friend. “I wasn’t anywhere near there!”

The foal’s unicorn companion pouts adorably to this accusation. “The sun was in my eyes, that's all!” Sweepy Belle spits back crossly.

Oh, that's nice. It looks like the two of them finally found each other in the real world after the whole dreamscape incident originally brought them together. I discover my lips curling upwards thanks to their reunion and thanks to this cute little spat of theirs…

… only for said lips to change back to their original expression as my thoughts wander to Elusive, Sweepy’s older brother.

My mood returns to being sour.

“... It’s okay, boys,” I eventually manage to mutter. “Accidents happen.” I then underhand roll the ball back towards Sweepy and resume my slow march towards the library. I’m sure I’m supposed to meet back up with Dusk there so we can move forward to the ‘third act’. Let’s keep this plot train rolling, I guess. All aboard. Choo cho-

“Do you wanna play with us, Barb?”

With foot halting in mid-step, I find myself slowly turning back towards the pony who had just asked me this question.

Sweepy Belle smiles back innocently in response.

Scooteroll beats me to the punch by asking the well earned “Huh?” that his friend deserved for his sudden words. "Ummm, I think being Dusk’s assistant thingy is, like, her full time job or something, dude. You can't play games when your working.”

Before I can add in my own comment, Sweepy cheerfully counters his friend with, “I don’t see Mister Dusk Shine around anywhere though, do you? Maybe she has the day off?”

Again I try to speak.

Again I’m cut off.

“Bu-”

Sweepy then cuts off Scooteroll who was currently in the process of cutting me off. Wow; double teamed. “Come ooooon Scooter!” he pleads with the pegasus, his eyes growing even larger and more puppy dog-like than before. “Our folks said that we had to go outside and have fun, and three players will be way more fun than just two! It’s simple math!”

“... Huh?” the orange youth again questions. “What are you, an abacus?”

“It makes sense though, right?”

“I… I guess,” Scooteroll admits after a time. The foal then at last turns and addresses me directly. “Soooo... Are you in, Barb?”

“Uhhh,” I answer back quite intelligently. Huh... I’ve been caught completely off guard here.

If I'm remembering things right; Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were kinda main characters in their own right too, right? I think that's true... I don’t remember if they ever interacted with Spike in the show though, even though they were all around the same age give or take a year or two. He was never shown going to a school, I still remember that much at least. His interactions with the yet to be formed team must have been super minor then if that's how events originally went down.

For the sake of the timeline, I should probably steer clear of the whole darn group…

…

… But… this world's timeline is already kinda janked though, right? Eris’ statue has been moved, Solaris lost an eye, and I’ve interacted with these two colts already thanks to Nightterror Nebula’s dreamscape prison! Things are slightly different now in this Equestria thanks to my selfish influence... I don't know how things are supposed to go anymore...

…

“… N-no, I shouldn’t…” I eventually reply, taking a step back and resuming my walk towards the library. My mind is set.

I shouldn’t be entertaining thoughts that involve deviating from the show’s canon like I already have. Bad things happen whenever I try, just like with Dusk's book and just like during the Summer Sun Celebration. Sure it's true that I don’t know exactly what the original Spike did between leaving and rejoining Twilight’s side in this episode, but I still shouldn’t get distracted with, well… distractions like this! I have a job to do! I have responsibilities! I know what my next role for today is and it's simply being in Dusk's presence when he wants to write his letter to Solaris! That is more important than this. That will get Dusk and the other’s their damn tickets! This will amount in… nothing! Just me building up a sweat, getting dirty, and nothing else. For goodness sake, I’m a grown woman! I shouldn’t have to remind myself that Dusk needs me, just like he did at Sweet Apple Acres earlier today where…

… where I sat around and threw away apples all morning long…

...

… W-well he needed me by his side when his friends ganged up on him at least! Yeah! How else would he have... have...

...

... How else would he have told his friends off all by himself while I stood around and did nothing…

…

… I… I-I helped him find a restaurant to eat at!

But then I immediately laughed when his lunch was ruined and he was left miserable...

...

… I’m…

...

... I’ve not been all that helpful today, have I? And… I’m not destined to be helpful later today either. Not in a truly meaningful way at least...

...

... B-but writing that letter will be helpful! I’ll be helpful when that happens! Yeah... I will be… I really will be helpful then!

And… and then Elusive will finally...

Finally…

…

... Finally... what?

...

...

… All of a sudden... my purse is feeling… heavy…

Way too heavy.

…

… Gently, and with the utmost care, I make to lower my satchel into a nearby bush. Filled with The Poisoned Barb and three golden gala tickets, I make sure that the treasured item is properly camouflaged by a healthy collection of branches, twigs, and earthly bubs before letting go of it's strap all together. Once I'm confident that the bag will go both undisturbed and unnoticed by passersby, I proceed to take a nice, deep, and calming breath…

… before willingly letting it all go.

Shouting “I wanna play too!” while running back has the desired result I want, as Sweepy is now toothily grinning because of my change of heart. With one last nod of his head to confirm that I'm ready, the ball is kicked my way.

With the stretching of my foot, and the silencing of my head, I launch the toy over to Scooteroll without a second thought.

Just like that the game begins, and the streets of Ponyville are soon filled with the sound of children’s laughter and nothing more.

It's funny; though I've lectured time and time again on the importance of not clinging to the past, and on the value of embracing the new you, I rarely follow through with what I preach. I still make adult decisions, and I still have adult thoughts and feelings, but I also still think that it's important for a Reincarnee, for a Lost One, to be able to connect with those in their world who closely match their new form. It was within the very pages of this book did I write the words, "Become a child's friend," yet I've become more attached to adults and young adults in this life than I ever did in my old.

Perhaps The Poisoned Barb is to blame for this discrepancy of mine.

Recalling and jotting down my thoughts on the past seems highly counterproductive in my pursuit to forget said past, but I can't bring myself to cease writing. My passion for the craft still lives on within me; I can't possibly dredge up the willpower necessary to forget such a thing. I've already written so many entries over these last few weeks as well. It would be such a shame to put an end to all of this while there's still plenty of mysteries left in this land to unravel.

I'll honestly state that the amount of clinging I do is unhealthy, but there are just too many aspects of my old self that refuse to die. My love of writing, my love of my original body's shape, my love for my husband and children... Perhaps this passion is toxic, but at least it proves to me that I'm a real dragon through and through now.

It's in a dragon's nature to be greedy, after all.

Someday I'll be free from the past in both mind and soul, but again I feel that baby dragon steps will be what sees me to this final destination in the end. Thankfully I found two colts today willing to show me which path I should be striding down.

The path towards a more fulfilling second childhood might not be as scary as I originally feared.

“... So you never went to school?” Scooteroll asks me for the fourth time in a row. “Lucky.”

“Yeah, I wish I could skip all that too,” Sweepy adds in between heavy breaths.

“Psss, nuh-uh!” I shoot back with a snort as I lay tired and covered in mud on a nearby patch of grass. “You guys wouldn’t have liked it at all. The Bluebelles are totally evil! They made me learn shelving and taxes and all that boring junk.”

“Okay… yeah,” Scooteroll concedes as he collapses on the grass beside Sweepy and myself. “But you still got to live in a big old mansion though, right?”

“Hah!” I snicker. “You mean I got to clean a big old mansion daily! It was lame with a capital L.”

“Oh wow, what?" Scooteroll gasps. "Whoa... I might miss my parents, but at least my uncles don't make me clean their whole house when I stay over! That is lame, dude!"

"Yeah," Sweepy nods. "This kinda puts my own chores into a whole new perspective... That’s real rough what you went through, Barb.”

“I... T-thanks, you guys...”

The conversation ends shortly after this exchange as the three of us choose to relax in silence and listen to the pleasant sound of the wind blowing through town. The grass sways beside us as we collectively enjoy the summer’s wonderful warmth...

...

... I’m worn out.

I probably smell.

I’m covered in dirt, minor knee scrapes, and tree sap... somehow.

I look like a typical prepubescent little girl...

... but, despite this... I'm happy.

Undeniably happy.

...

... Why does this feel so foreign to me?

...

...

“... Dusk Shine is my bestest friend whoopie, whoopie~”

"Berry..."

Due to how close the three of us currently are physically, I can feel it as my two pony friends’ fuzzy ears perk up suddenly in response to the faintest sound of music playing in the distance. We glance at each other for a hot second before we rise to our feet and hooves respectively and try to figure out what's going on.

“Is that a Heartsong?” Sweepy name-drops the phenomenon as he shades himself with a hoof and tries to peer out.

Scooteroll replies, “I think so… Man, I can’t wait until we’re old enough to do that too! You know they say that cutie marks come in a little bit after your magic lungs do… Hey, Barb! What do you think your cutie mark would be if you were a pony like us?”

Ending my search for the singer, I giggle at the question. Goodness, I never thought about that before! If I were a pony, what would mine look like? A quill? Maybe a book! I would want something cool looking though, so maybe it would be a firebal-

“BEEEERRRRY!!”

My daydreaming comes to a screeching halt as a stallion’s voice angrily cries out, terminating the distant Heartsong. Turning my head towards the west, I spot the library, the place I was originally heading towards, now being assaulted by a horde of cheering equines. A speck of purple catches my eyes as it comes tumbling down into the crowd.

Oh… that’s right… the episode is still going on…

...

… For a second, one solid second... I'm not ashamed to admit that a tiny spark of hate may have ignited itself within my mind.

Hate that this newfound feeling of peace will be forced to come to an end soon.

Hate that I’ll need to get back to the library in time for Dusk’s breakdown and for his letter to Solaris.

Hate that I’ll finally, finally be needed then; that I’ll finally be useful for the first time today, if not for the first time ever.

In that brief moment of time, and for the first time in a long time, I was starting to regard my duty to this "ridiculous" plot and to this "ridiculous" planet as the burden that it always was. I was starting to see this unasked for role of mine as the roadblock towards my own happiness that it was from the start.

In that moment, that one single instance, I contemplated on how bad it could possibly be of me to just.. sit down with those two boys, and just… do nothing? Maybe I would have continued to lay in the grass, maybe I would have taken Sweepy Belle up on his offer to go read comic books back at his home, or maybe I would have done something bold.

Maybe I would have torn those damn tickets into little pieces, made confetti out of their remains, and blown said remains into the eye-sockets of the next pony who asked me for them.

The only thing that stopped me from heading down that path, from abandoning my duty outright in the pursuit of more immediate bliss, was ironically my own two feet. Unbeknownst to even myself, my group had started making their way closer to the gathering in order to gain more details. Sweepy Belle and Scooteroll were obviously doing so out of a sense of curiosity, but I had followed too for reasons that weren't obvious to me at first.

Said reason became crystal clear once the moment of stupidity much needed introspection had passed in it's entirety.

Dusk's panic, exhaustion, and misery were on full display for me to witness and soak in once I had approached closer... yet the sight didn't make me feel better at all. It didn't make my own pain feel lighter.

If anything, it made me feel worse.

This was because it wasn't an equivalent exchange, I knew. Not in the slightest. We were both being taken advantage of by Element Bearers, our words were both being ignored, and our own wants were both being trampled on by others yet it still wasn't the same.

At the end of the day; we may both be the chew toys of destiny, but only one of us had made the choice to follow a script instead of living their own life, and only one of us would receive Solaris' blessing if they ever decided to leave it all behind. Dusk isn't the one whose been granted such wonderful options.

Dusk is, in a sense, more trapped in his fate than even myself.

This is Dusk Shine's one and only life, and it's one in which he has no true say over where his future will lead him. He is Solaris' pawn, just like me; a game piece bond by rules and rigid movements that he can not possibly hope to comprehend or deviate from.

In understanding this, I also came to the realization that selfishly asking him to suffer the same way I had, for only my own benefit, would mark me as no better than how the rest of his ticket-starved friends were behaving today.

And I am better than that, dear reader.

I am better because I am Barbara The flipping Dragoness; number one assistant of all time, tied only with Spike himself.

The next course of action that I decided upon in that split-second, that I'm about to chronicle, should now come as obvious to all who have read and understood everything written thus far in this book. In the off-chance you are still confused, I will now fully reiterate my rationale for hopefully the final time upon these many pages. Feel free to say the words aloud along with me if you so desire, for I feel that you may know them already. You may choose the tone though, either glad or sad, for I am certain that my choice is not the one another in my scales would have made if given the opportunity.

Deep down in my heart of hearts; despite the moments of frustration, the allowance of slapstick abuse, and the rare times where I am treated more like his shadow than his assistant... I still love my Dusk Shine.

I still love the pony whose youthful innocence saved me from the darkness of my rebirth, whose quest for friendship has already given my new life deeper meaning, and who would be completely lost if not for my highly necessary secretarial assistance. I feel whole when I'm by his side and, though I'm certain he'll never admit it, I know he feels the same way about me. Though the road may get rocky at times, with dark days aplenty, I still believe that this love of ours exists and that it will remain in place for many more years to come. I will wait as long as it takes for him to become the magical young stallion that I know he can be will be someday.

Despite the never-ending hurdles that always permeate such a thing, I've always loved my family and that's an aspect of my former life that I'm more than willing to keep around forever.

Now that the record has been set straight once and for all, let us continue. At the point that I've just described, as the once dying flame of hope began to glow brightly once more within my chest; I quickly came to the epiphany that what was best for Dusk today wasn't going to be a ravenous mob, but instead a friend to simply stand by his side. My instincts told me that nopony from the chanting hoard of potential gala goers was going to step up to the plate in that task, so I ultimately decided that it might as well be me. The fact that Spike probably came to this same conclusion off-camera didn't mean a damn thing to me at the time.

Let it never be said that our relationships to our charges are not forged out of the goodness of our hearts and the stubbornness of our wills.

Hurriedly turning back towards my two surprising new friends, having at last come to grips with my feelings, I beam one last time as I declare how, “Guys, it’s been fun, but I better help my other friend out of this jam he got himself in.”

Scooteroll looks a little disappointed at this, but he still nods his head in understanding all the same.

“O-okay,” he grumbles a bit to himself. It’s funny how he didn’t want me to join in the games initially, but now that it’s time for me to leave he doesn’t want me to go at all! He's a child through and through for sure... though I suppose I’m no longer in a position to criticize such things. “We’ll play again soon though, right?”

There's not a single hint of hesitation in my voice. “For sure, Scooter.”

We then claw/hoof bump one another before I turn to address Sweepy… whose not where I thought he was. Huh? Where did he g-

“Don forge dis, Bar.”

Startled, I turn and spy Sweepy Belle holding onto my purse with his mouth. Though he had clearly spoken around the item gripped in his teeth, upon seeing his stance and wagging tail the words became so much more clearer to me. “Don’t forget this, Barb.” Awwwww~! Such a little gentlecolt!

Boy could his older brother use a few lessons from him, haha.

Gratefully I thank the sweet little pony... well we’re technically about the same height but you know what I mean… by saying just as much. “Thank you, Sweepy.”

With purse, tickets, diary and bits all reclaimed and secured tightly to my side, I bid the two colts a heartfelt goodbye before running purposefully into the gathering and making my way back to Dusk’s side.

Back to where I'm always needed and where I know I'm always welcomed.

"Out of the way!" I yell, forcefully pushing myself between ponies. "Make room! Number one assistant coming through! G-get your flank out of my face you perv. Ohhh is that a real Fire Ruby- No! No distractions! I need to get to... Dusk!"

Breaching the storm of ponies and entering it's eye, I find Dusk curling into a fetal position right smack dab in the middle of the whole mess. This is bad. Though I possess more strength than the average child, I still lack the power necessary to forcefully extract him from this sticky situation all by myself.

Thankfully it doesn’t look like I'll need to strain myself at all in order to get my charge out of this mess. It seems that my mere presence by his side, along with the feeling of my reassuring claw against his leg and the mirrored look of fear in my own eyes, is just what the doctor ordered. Though our gazes meet for but a fraction of a flash, it’s clear to both of us now that this is no longer a burden we have to deal with alone. Together we are stronger, and together we'll break free.

With passion reignited and burning like the sun, Dusk and I charge forward and attempt to escape the growing masses. We aren’t able to make it all that far out of the eye; everywhere we turn a new pony is cropping up and trying to offer us more and more in exchange for our desired tickets. Flowers, carrots, first born foals; nothing seems to be off the table for these deranged ponies! Dusk was right all those nights ago!

Everypony in this town is crazy!

Perhaps in realizing that on foot I’ll only slow us down, my friend with the mulberry coat leans over and allows me to climb up onto his back. “What are we gonna do?!” I shout out, trying to be heard over the hubbub.

“We’re,” Dusk begins to scream back, his head darting every which way in the hope of finding an exit. “gonna...”

And then, from my seat upon my steed, I feel it in my scales as Dusk’s internal well of magic chooses now to loudly resonate in the air around us. Invisible, magical instruments start to chime one by one as my frightened little pony unwittingly primes a Heartsong. I… oh crap, I remember this bit! I remember it so clearly!

Who could ever forget Benny goshdarn Hill?!

“RRRRUUUUUNNN!!!” whinnies my steed as he jumps up over the herd and at last manages to escape. We’re going to be ridiculously easy to track down thanks to this appropriate background music, but darn it all if we’re not willing to try! To quote something I’m fairly certain Bubble Berry has never said, but probably will at some point because he's, well, Berry;

“I’ve always wanted to be part of a montage sequence!”

“WHAT WAS THAT PONY DOING IN THAT FOOD CART?! THAT'S SO UNSANITARY!!”

“I DON’T KNOW DUSK JUST KEEP RUNNING!!”

“... They actually fell for this one?”

“Yeah I’m surprised too.”

“Right? But, Dusk… wouldn’t it have made more sense for me to be the one in the stroller? I am smaller...”

Dusk spits out a pacifier as he pokes his head out of the tiny cart.

“Yeah… you’re probably righ-”

“THERE THEY ARE!”

“Oh horsefeathers CHEESE IT!”

“... Dusk, I’m going to be the first one to use the shower tonight and there’s nothing you can do or say to change my mind.”

“What? But, Barb, I’m so swea-”

“Eh!” I cut him off by placing a newly pond and algae-soaked claw against his lips. “I am invoking my ‘ladies first’ right again today and that’s final. Are we clear?”

“Bu-”

“Are, we, clear?”

“ … Yes ma’am…”

“... Dusk… They passed us by... Please take off the coconut bra now.”

“No… It makes me feel pretty.”

“... Fair enough… Can I have a turn with it nex-”

“No.”

“Hypocrite.”

Thankfully the chase music started to die down right around the time the sunlight was starting to do the same. Dusk would later explain to me that this was due to his emotions becoming too erratic for his body to maintain the subconscious spell, or something of that effect. We should have been able to run away more easily once this happened, but fate saw fit to make our next right turn into a turn that involved a complete dead end.

I was beyond frustrated by this. With the buildings in this town being so unusually far apart from one another I hadn’t thought that there were dead ends in Ponyville at all. You learn something new everyday I guess.

As the practically rabid ponies drew closer in, still shouting maddening offers of eternal servitude and countless riches, Dusk’s horn began to glow out brightly with the light of a charging spell matrix. In his haste, in his complete and utter desperation to escape the clingy horde, Dusk had called upon his most dangerous spell.

From what I understand with the little magic knowledge I possess, teleportation is not an easy spell to utilize. There are countless formulas, runes, and factors to memorize for even one "jump" to be successful, so the average unicorn usually forgoes learning the incantation during their stay in caster school. Combine this fact with how strictly the royal government monitors the users of said spell, and how often said users have to appear in court to testify whenever somepony blames a robbery on it's usage and it’s plain to see why it’s such a rare skill among the pony populous. It’s also a skill that Dusk hasn’t completely mastered yet, so he’s not exactly licensed to use it outside of school yet either

Note to Self #3: Don’t write incriminating evidence inside The Poisoned Barb.

Note to Self #4: Review Note to Self #2 again.

In summation; Dusk shouldn't have been casting that spell today, but I believe that I have well established by this point that he was not quite in his normal headspace at the time. His hasty actions today should not come off as all that shocking in the grand scheme of things.

Not shocking, true, but to me it was still an unlucky turn of events.

POP!!

Owowowowow! I hate teleportation so gosh darn much! Hothothot!! Why am I smoking?! Why am I- Oh no my purse! Pleasedon’tburnpleasedon’tburnplease… Phew! All safe and sound…

… Can’t say the same for me though.

“W-warn me next time you’re gonna do that,” I woozily sputter out as I try to reorient myself.

“I didn’t even know it was gonna happen!” Dusk wails back at me. OH SURE, TELL ME THAT YOU WINGED THE DELICATE TELEPORT SPELL! THAT WILL MAKE ME FEEL SSSSSOOOOO MUCH BETTER, YOU CLO- “Now quick, lock the doors!”

Returning to my senses, I quickly come to the realization that we’re inside the library and, thus, we have a slim chance at privacy once again! Following my orders, I aid Dusk in the task as fast as my legs can carry me. Doors are slammed, windows are closed, and every single enchanted candle is blown out. Eventually our reward reveals itself to be complete and utter darkness.

Never before have I been so glad to be thrust into utter darkness.

As the two of us collapse to the floor, having at last succumbed to our exhaustion, Dusk and I breathe a well earned sigh of relief. In the blackness of night, our eyes meet once again.

In each other's gaze do we at last find some semblance of peace and quiet...

…

… Do I even need to say that it doesn’t last long?

Electric lamps suddenly burst into blinding light as the library is once again illuminated fully. Now overlooking us from Dusk’s loft are five incredibly unwelcomed stallions/home invaders.

Dusk screams.

I debate joining in.

“I can’t decide! I just can’t decide!” Dusk sobs in anguish, consuming his metaphorical last straw. The other ponies present, for the first time all day long, at last look properly guilty as their supposed friend begins to rant and rave. “It’s important to all of you and I just can’t stand to disappoint any of you, and giving me gifts and doing me favors won’t make any difference, because you’re all my friends and I wanna make you all happy and I can’t! I just CAN’T!!”

Not a single pony present can bring themselves to speak as Dusk curls up into a tiny ball on the floor and lays there with his hooves over his face. A sniffle escapes his lips, completely breaking my heart.

Flapflapflap

In a move that at last proves to me that his own heart isn’t as cold and black as I was starting to fear, Rainbow Dash flutters himself over to Dusk’s side.

“Oh jeez,” Dash cringes, rubbing a foreleg behind his head in embarrassment. “Dusk, man, I-I didn’t mean to push you this hard. I just… I…” The pegasus then gently places a wing over his friend’s prone form. “I'm so sorry. Look, if it helps you out, I don’t want the stupid ticket anymore. Give it to somepony else for all I care. It’s your choice, dude. We cool?”

“I… I don’t want to go now either,” adds Butterscotch in a low rumble, drawing our attention and encouraging Dusk to stand up fully once again. “I didn’t mean to hurt anypony... I-I'd never want to hurt you guys...”

“Me too,” chimes Berry, bouncing in place as always. “It’s no fun upsetting your friends… besides! The seven of us can always get wasted right here in Ponyville instead!”

“Barb is still seven, BB.”

“What? Still?”

Elusive rolls his eyes before adding in his own commitment. “Dusk, it was ungentlecoltly of me to try to force you as I did. I hope you and Barbara can forgive me someday.”

I glance at Elusive for my inclusion in his apology.

The stallion replies to my gaze by deliberately turning away from it.

“Elus-” I start to ask, only to be cut off by a rather loud cry of

“Yaaaahhhooo!! Apple stand here we come!! Oooohhhh ah can taste the bits already...”

The six of us wordlessly turn towards our seventh.

Upon realizing that we’re all staring rather angrily at him, Applejack’s face visibly turns an awkward red. “... Y… Y-you know what?” the farmer then backpedals hard. “Ah’m pretty sure that Red Gala will be too busy with the chores to go to the, er, gala with me that day... and ah can’t rightfully bring Apple Buck or Gramps along with me instead... A-and it would be such a shame to not use all three of the tickets together…”

The room grows colder as our glares grow crosser.

Applejack gulps.

“W-what ah’m tryin’ to say is…” the earth pony at last bows his head in defeat. “Ah don’t need those tickets anymore neither.”

“Sorry we didn’t realize that we were being complete jerks to you, Dusk,” Rainbow steps in, intentionally diverting our gazes from Applejack to himself. “Everypony has this dream of going to the gala at one point in their lives, so when we were given the chance... I-I guess it drove us just the tiniest bit batty…” Reaching over, Dash extends his hoof in a show of peace. “Are we cool again, dude? Please say we’re cool, t-though I'd understand if we're not...”

Dusk looks down at the offered foreleg and stares at it...

“...”

… A moment later he bumps it with his own.

“Yeah… Yeah we’re cool again, dude," confirms Dusk with a smile.

Like a spell washing over us all, the tension in the room magically disappears as we release our collectively held breaths…

… Oh! I bet I know what happens next here! With the conflict out of the way and with bridges repaired, I bet I know exactly the next lines for sure this time.

Next, Dusk is going to say…

“Barb, take down a note.”

Ahhhhhh. Music to my weird-shaped ears~

With quill and parchment relinquished from my bag along with the three tickets, I stand by waiting to hear those three wonderful words.

Say it with me now, everycreature;

“Dear Prince Solaris…”

From there the rest is pretty self explanatory, my dear reader. As I detailed earlier on in this written entry, the final outcome of the day was that everyone in the room received their own ticket after the ones we had were returned and after the situation was explained fully to Solaris. Mine came in a rushed second burst of dragon fire, but that’s a detail that can be glanced over.

A detail that can’t be ignored though was that, as I left the library earlier tonight to join the others in a well earned dinner, I was first stopped by Applejack. He was having a laugh at my expense over my suspiciously two-faced excitement in receiving a ticket of my own, what with me having made fun of the event earlier and all. In reality I was actually just happy that the whole day was finally over with, but I decided that I wasn't going to correct him on this misunderstanding. Instead I chose to play it off like his assumption was actually correct the whole time, and that I actually did want to go to the party hosted by famous dragon hating unicorns!

Sometimes I forget how good of an actor I am.

Once this exchange was done though, I was again surprised when another pony stopped me in my tracks only a few scant steps after Applejack did.

Said pony was Elusive.

The unicorn didn’t so much as spare a single word for me. Though it appeared as though he wanted to say something, instead all he ended up doing was staring at me with a guilty expression before quickly departing for the diner. I still don’t know what that pony's deal is with me, or why he's since rescinded his offer for answers, but I hope one of us will find the courage to break the ice before this short summer ends.

For now though, I’m content with just living my best life here in crazy old Ponyville. Canterlot has got nothing on this place. I've heard rumors that applebuck season is almost upon us now too, which means that another episode isn't too far off. I have a strong feeling that I know what the event will entail, unlike I did with this one, but I'll still my quill on the matter until it transpires in earnest.

I've decided that I'll continue to play along with the script the best I can for now, but as Sweepy Belle and Scooteroll have taught me; I don't need to follow it as rigidly as I originally thought I did. There's still plenty of room for me to breathe and to re-grow up in. I must never forget again that this is my life too here, not just Dusk's, and that life is a beautifully unpredictable mess even with Seer powers. I deserve the same chance at prosperity that my charge is destined to receive.

I deserve the same chance to be happy.

That having all been said and sorted out;

Good Night, my precious diary.

May our journey forward continue to be both manageable and full of happy little surprises.

… A storeroom lies buried and forgotten within the corridors of a long standing castle.

...

… A storeroom untouched throughout countless ages and generations.

...

… A storeroom which now bares a new addition this eve; the petrified remains of a creature that should not be.

…

…

… In the peace of a harmonious night, a soft buzz of power suddenly rings out.

It is silent to all who matter, and booming to those who do not.

…

...

...

... A storeroom lies abandoned within a mighty castle.

The mirror within begins to ripple wildly under it's dusty cloth.

On a bright and sunny day in the little hamlet known as Ponyville, two pony foals found themselves engrossed in a youthful game of kickball.

One of the children was a unicorn filly, white in hue; the other was a pegasus whose mane was a mixture of pinks and purples. The two girls were friends, and thus they laughed and screamed as such as they chased their ball through the bustling market streets. They heeded not to the demands of older ponies telling them to slow down or to be more careful; summer vacation was in full effect, after all, and the pair didn't want to waste a single second of it.

For a brief moment though, the game found itself paused as the ball remained closely held in the unicorn filly's tired hug. Sweetie Belle hummed to herself happily as she considered what to do next with the simple toy…

… but, just then, the ball is all but forgotten as the girl's eyes catch sight of an unusual creature passing through.

A dragon was a rarity in Equestria, Sweetie knew; a baby drake even more so. The boy in the foal’s gaze was also melancholy in appearance, adding to his mystique. He was clearly distraught about something important, for he paid little attention to his surroundings as he carried himself through town with head held discerningly low and spirit seemingly broken. With these details combined, it is of little wonder why Sweetie Belle had stopped to stare.

The unicorn child took in the appearance of the boy for a moment, mentally noted on how sad he looked and how sad that made her feel…

… and then she proceeded to pass the ball back towards her friend Scootaloo. The two of them hastily resumed their game as they traveled in the opposite direction to the dragon's own path. The sight of the drake was certainly an oddity, of course… but it was nothing more than that; an oddity. Something to be considered briefly and to then be promptly ignored.

Sweetie Belle knew that she was acting like a good pony in walking away.

Good ponies listen to their parents.

Good ponies follow their rules.

Good ponies lend a hoof to those who are hurting, true...

... but a good pony never talks to strangers either.

Sweetie Belle was a good pony.

She knew that she was a good pony indeed.

Entry 5 (Applebuck Season)

~Dear Diary~

This week I learned an important lesson on how different Ponyville is to Canterlot.

Specifically, I learned how different the ponies of Ponyville are to the ponies of Canterlot.

Accents are more varied here, tastes are less rigid, and hearts are often times worn clearly on sleeves. When there's a reason to cheer a Ponyville pony will cheer; when there's something perceived as wrong a Ponyville pony will gather friends and family and demand for justice to be done.

It's an honest community filled with honest ponies; i.e. the complete opposite of Canterlot.

A Canterlot pony waits to cheer until the majority are cheering too, and they'll keep their lips sealed on injustice until it's a matter that effects them personally. It's certainly a stark contrast, like night and day, but it's a contrast I should have been anticipating. I have to be more mindful with my words if I'm going to continue to live here with Dusk, lest I make another pony uncomfortable like I already have. What's normal to ponies up in the mountains isn't necessarily normal to ponies down here in the plains, after all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

It’s been almost two weeks since I last wrote in you, my precious diary, and there’s a good reason for this. Life in Ponyville has been going smoothly since the ticket episode; Dusk has been doing his studies, I’ve been tidying up our new tree home, and Elusive still hasn't built up the nerve to have “the talk” with me yet. I haven't been able to drum up the confidence either so I don't blame him. The two of us are locked in a mental game of chicken in a way; we're both waiting for the other to blink and spill the beans first before willingly doing the same. I’ve been trying to become less emotionally invested in the callousness, and uncaring towards the implications, but it’s admittedly been difficult.

If it weren't for my blossoming friendship with Sweepy Belle and Scooteroll, I imagine that I would be a lot less patient on Elusive's dodginess than I currently am.

I feel that this lack of frustration stems from the two foals having had a remarkable impact on my long overdue healing. Ever since our first game of kickball opened my eyes to the benefits of acting my age, I’ve been making the effort to see the pair regularly whenever I can. The stress and anxiety I felt when I first started writing this book has lessened significantly thanks to their simple interactions, and the games they share with me. Though last entry I may have described the experience like I was forcefully turning off my brain, all for the sake of acting more like a kid, as of this writing it doesn't feel like that in the slightest. Now I don't have to pretend nearly as hard in order to achieve the same result, except for when I'm happily make-believing myself as a fair princess or wondermare. It just feels natural.

Dusk Shine has thankfully been supportive of these playdates of mine... or at least he's not against the idea of them taking up my attention or the like. He's been granting me more time off as of late, which in itself is a good sign that he does approve in some small way; but I'm unsure whether such a change was due to him blessing my friendships or him discovering something about it's magic thanks to the act. Pondering on it now, I wonder if my increased vacation hours may actually be the result of guilt my charge developed when I stormed off in a huff during the last episode?

Well, whatever the case may be, I'm not going to complain over some well earned free time.

When Sweepy, Scooter, and I do get to form up we usually enjoy playing simple sports and imaginative games of pretend. Sometimes we like kicking back in the grass and enjoying the beautiful summer weather too, and when we do decide to relax we usually end up talking. At first our conversations were mostly centered around the differences between ponies and dragons, what Canterlot is like, what gems taste like, etc. Once these mini-interrogation questions were through, we swiftly switched to more broad and even topics like what our favorite books and comics are, what our home lives are like, and what we want to be when we grow up; to which I've yet to provide a satisfactory answer towards outside of "Dusk's assistant."

Laugh all you want, but Sweepy and Scooter haven't been able to come up with answers yet of their own outside of "cutie marks," so at least I'm not alone in this struggle to decide on a future path to take.

And that, right there, is the main reason why I've decided to become a friend to these two ponies; this feeling of not being alone on something for once. I'm a reincarnated human mother, a dragon, and a little girl in a mostly stallion-leaning town, but when I'm with these young colts I'm just another one of "the guys."

At first I was afraid of unintentionally alienating these foals with my adult soul, and my sad baggage, but the both of them have equally proven to be much more mature and tactful on certain subjects than I would have dared to imagine prior. Scooter, for example, has parents that don't live with him because their jobs as explorers keep them in a state of constant travel. This causes the poor child to feel lonely on occasion, but it hasn't caused him to become an emotionally distant pony on top of this thanks to his uncles' influence. He knows that the two of them take good care of him when they can, and for that he's deeply grateful, so he hasn't felt the need to complain about his lot in life for any real reason yet. While I feel that such an experience has matured Scooter without him realizing it, I'm happy to say that his youth hasn't been robbed from him on top of this. At heart he's still just a kid with a love of speed, a secret scaredy-cat side for all things dark and foreboding, and idealistic eyes for his hero in all things awesome and cool-looking; Rainbow Dash.

Sweepy, on the other claw, feels that he's living in Elusive's shadow. He undeniably loves his older brother, and he admires him deeply for his skills; but he also feels that his parents are being blinded by his success and, as a result, they aren't paying nearly as much attention to his own growth as they should be. Sweepy is smart and creative, as I will readily attest, but nothing is being done to help him capitalize on his untapped potential. Usually ponies like him are supposed to be examined and judged for free entry into Solaris' School for Gifted Unicorns, just like with what happened with Dusk on the day of my rebirth, but it seems like Sweepy's family currently has no plans to present him.

That truly stinks. I understand that Elusive Belle wouldn't really have much of a say on such a decision, as in the eyes of Canterlot he's not the true head of House Belle yet, but I still wish he was speaking up more for his shy brother's desires. I now feel deeply sorry for my tiny unicorn friend and the whole bum hand he's been forced to deal with. We are kindred spirits, him and I; destiny's chew-toys one and all.

The funny thing about Sweepy Belle’s situation, however, is that the colt is more worried for his parent's future then he is about his own. The idea of his mom and dad missing out on his successes, and them feeling guilty later in life for being obstacles in his way rather than the help they could have been, seems to be the main source of his dissatisfaction from what I've been able to gather. He recognizes that the sight of a child growing is an experience that few folks will ever get to appreciate during parenthood...

... which is way too wise and sophisticated of a feeling for a flipping eight year old like him to be expressing while, in the same breath, also explaining to me which Power Pony he thinks looks the coolest.

My current theory is that this had to be a lesson that the more world-weary Elusive instilled in my little friend for reasons I can't possibly hope to comprehend. It's certainly a very Jason-esque thing to say, I suppose, and one I can clearly imagine him ranting and raving about regardless of his audience; but that's a detail I'm thankfully finding myself caring less and less about with each passing day.

Overall the clawfull of hours I've manged to share with the two sweet colts, the ones I actually care about, have thus far been very entertaining and highly therapeutic. I've been laughing, grinning, and having more fun in general during these last two weeks than I've had in my last two years as Dusk's assistant.

I've been having so much fun, in fact, that I actually debated on introducing the two colts to Apple Buck early just so they can form this world’s Cutie Mark Crusaders ahead of canon. It made sense in my head at the time; the rushed creation of the CMC would result in the quicker acquisition of my friends' cutie marks, the quicker forming of their deeper friendships, and the quicker rounding out of our play posse...

... but I quickly decided against forcing their meeting once I took the necessary step back and remembered that time is both a River and a Stone for a reason. Sometimes you have to let things flow naturally, even when you're having fun. I don't particularly like the idea of purposely leaving somepony out because it's whats written in a stupid script, but I suppose Solaris designed The Code specifically with such meddling in mind. I shouldn't be trying to go against the stream just because I can; I just hope that cute bow-tie wearing colt won't be too bored on his own until the day destiny comes knocking finally arrives.

Now that I’ve mentioned Apple Buck though, and consequently the Apple Family, I can now segue this entry properly into the real reason for why I’ve decided to write at all this afternoon.

I’ve got apples on the mind, you see, and it’s all thanks to Applejack and his stubbornness.

Allow me to explain; about a week ago Red Gala hurt herself in a lederhosen accident.

The circumstances behind such a scenario are too ludicrous for me to describe properly in the few hours I've been granted to write in today, so please take heart that I will be illustrating it another time. My only reason for pointing the incident out at all is that, with Red Gala out of commission, the task of harvesting the fields for the coming market season had fallen solely on Applejack's withers. All of his extended family had long since gone home after the Summer Sun Celebration fiasco had subsided, and his remaining family was either too young or old to be of any real help with bucking, so he was well and truly the only pony left for the job. At first everything seemed okay; the hearty stallion was not only stripping trees at blinding speeds, but he also found the time to prevent a major cattle stampede from damaging downtown Ponyville. Everypony was so grateful for the latter that the elements organized a town hall appreciation event to thank the hothead personally for all his hard work.

It was at this gathering that we all came to realize that something was seriously wrong with our tired golden stallion.

But this is not the story I wish to write about today.

While everypony else was busy trying to convince Applejack to accept help and to not accidentally destroy the town with bunny stampedes, poison, and by deservingly launching Rainbow Dash into the heavens; I had instead made myself busy with another task entirely.

I had made myself busy remembering how Sweepy Belle and Scooteroll weren’t the only friends I had made since I first arrived in Ponyville all those many days ago.

Knock knock knock

“Ugh… Eeyup?”

Translating and accepting the invitation to come in, I turn the knob of the door in front of me and enter the foyer proper.

The home of the Apple Family looks about the same as when I last ventured here during the Nightterror’s ‘eternal’ night. It’s a very rustic, homely kind of place that makes me feel just a tiny bit jealous. Dusk and I should consider sprucing up the library sometime with picture frames and doilies too. The one thing we can’t truly duplicate is that antique couch though, nor can we duplicate its inhabitant.

With bandages wrapped all around her frame, Red Gala looks as if she had just gone a few rounds with an alicorn prince and lost. She never should have taken that stupid bet with her brother!

Dusk and I probably shouldn't have helped Applejack win said bet during Ticket Master either... but that's neither here nor there.

It's disappointing to see that Red is being forced to recover all by her lonesome. I'm guessing that Apple Buck is outside somewhere enjoying his summer vacation just like my other friends are doing, I can hear Grandpa Smith snoring up a storm upstairs just like he did during my last visit, and considering that Applejack is being… well Applejack right now in the fields; by process of elimination, this must mean that the poor mare has been left to heal without a single creature else to keep her company...

... I'm super glad that I was inspired to stop by to see her now, because this looks like a job for Equestria's number one assistant!

“Oh... Hi, Barb,” groans the full grown pony as she, with a bit of effort, rights herself up into a sitting position to better greet me. “What are you doin' here?”

Upon setting the decent-sized, nondescript box I came with onto the living room table, I offer up to Red Gala a nice cocky grin.

“Oohhh not much, Red," I snicker cheekily. "I just heard that somepony had gone and got herself hurt doing something stupid, soooo I thought that she would probably appreciate the sight of a friendly face... That’s all!”

Thanks to my earlier interactions with this amaranth shaded pony, I think I'm now one of the few creatures on this planet capable of telling when she's blushing.

“... E-eeyup.” the humbled earth pony confirms for me as her eyes dart downwards towards her bandages.

That's enough teasing for today I feel. “Would you like some tea?” I offer up to her kindly as I gesture towards the kitchen. “I can spot where you keep the hoofstool for Apple Buck, so I can totally do it all by myself.”

Red Gala grants me a tiny smile of her own thanks to this.

“Eeyup, Barb. Thanks.”

Nodding my head, I dash into the kitchen and start boiling a pot of water. “Cinnamon apple spice I take it?” I call back.

“Eeyup.”

“Do you need any honey with it?”

“Nope.”

“Are the teacups kept in this far off cabinet?”

“Eeyup.”

“Got it… It’ll be about a minute then.”

“Eeyup.”

The teapot begins to warm.

“...”

“...”

"... The pegasi are doing a fantastic job with the weather this season."

"Eeyup."

"I think there's only suppose to be one or two more rainfalls scheduled before our next demi-season change, is that right?"

"Eeyup."

"It's really cool how they've got the dryness to wetness ratio down so tightly here! Canterlot's weather is nowhere near as well set!"

"Eeyup?"

"Oh yeah. We would get announcements of sudden schedule changes all the flipping time! It was annoying to plan around, especially when I needed to go out grocery shopping. Ponyville is way better at it... though the whole 'summer snowfall', followed by a 'spring into fall', is a bit weird if I'm being honest."

"Eeyup?"

"Yeah. I mean, I get why Cloudsdale needs to make sure that their snow makers are working before starting a full season shift, and that's why we have demi-season changes some years, but I never really thought about how all that practice snow needed to go somewhere in the end."

"Eeyup."

"Dusk is excited to be part of the whole 'Winter Wrap Up' thing next month, and I'm happy to see him wanting to try new things, but I'm not too thrilled by the idea myself. I used to like snow, because it reminds me of Minnesot- reasons! Just... reasons... but 'cold' and 'dragons' don't really mix too well. Literal cold-bloodedness sucks sometimes, Red... Sigh. I'm really going to miss this summer once it's over and done wit-"

The teapot begins to whine.

“Ah! There we go.”

With tray gripped firmly in my claws, I carefully carry the freshly brewed pot plus clean china over to the living room and set them down gently on the coffee table’s remaining space. I then place Gala's steaming cup in her upturned hoof, to which she responds by nodding her head in gratitude. She then slides over on the couch so as to make room for me, to which I respond by jumping up on the cushions beside her in acceptance. Reaching for my own teacup and lifting it tightly, the two of us take our first sips simultaneously, sigh contently, and together enjoy the tea's pleasantly nice warmth and aroma.

Good drinks, good company, and a good atmosphere; can't get much better than this. Awwww~ this is nice. I really need more days like this in my life and less like everything else.

I'm sure I'd be a whole lot more stable if I did.

“... Do you want any treats with this?” I next offer, thinking how snacks sound like a great idea right about now.

“Eh… nope,” Gala responds simply, blushing as she gestures a hoof to her stomach.

At first I blink confusedly...

... but then I giggle in realization.

“You don’t have to worry about your waistline, Red.” I snicker. I then smack my generous baby fat to demonstrate that, “I sure don’t!”

Red giggles now as well, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “Hehe… Eeyup.”

Moments later, after I had returned with a box of premade cookies for us to share, the big red mare gives me a searching look in between bites of her chocolate chip delight.

“... You wanna know how Applejack is doing?” I question in response to her gaze, believing to be on the right track.

“Er… Eeyup,” the concerned sister admits after a time.

Honesty is the best policy for Red, so I make sure that my words are just that; honest. “Well," I start, wiping away crumbs. "He’s seen better days, that’s for sure.”

I then relay to her everything I’m sure she was uninformed about; the town meeting, the accident with Rainbow’s latest trick that Applejack caused, how said stallion was slowly losing his marbles and making mistakes, the poisoning…

“Hmm?” Red asks, staring at me more intently now than before.

I visibly cringe as my mind wanders back in time.

“... No… not baked goods… Baked bads!” groans out Bubble Berry from what very much seemed to be his death bed if he wasn’t Bubble Berry. “Give me a hangover any day instead…”

Dusk and I stand in awe at the entrance to a makeshift quarantine zone as pony after pony is being rushed inside for very similar afflictions. I hold one of the culprits for this outbreak in a single claw; an overcooked looking muffin with a worm in it.

“Applejack,” glares Dusk, muttering to himself. It was pretty evident to all who was to blame for this horrific oversight. Even if he’s completely out of his gourd right now due to a lack of sleep, Applejack should have known better! He should have known that pony stomachs aren’t made to withstand such a thing! Dragon stomachs, maybe, but certainly not pony stomachs!

… Munch munch munch…

That’s a real shame too; these aren’t half bad!

“Want one?” I offer to Dusk absentmindedly, instantly forgetting what I had just said about stomachs.

Dusk's only reply is to give me a (probably) well deserved look of pure disgust and horror.

Eh. Whatever. Somepony here must have never had the curiosity to try some of life's more exotic dishes before and it shows. Deep fried grasshoppers and mescal worm tacos were staples of county fairs where I come from, so this is nothing.

Oh well. More for me.

“Hehe… It’s a long, complicated story, Red. I’m sure that’s one you're gonna want to hear from your brother’s mouth instead of mine.”

“Eeyup?” Gala asks again, tilting her head.

“Trust me.”

“... Eeyup," my friend relents at last, not prying further.

“Hey, don’t worry,” I try to comfort, patting her hoof with my claw. “Dusk and his friends are aware that he’s going overboard, so they’re not going to stop until he finally breaks down and accepts their help. I promise.”

Clearly appreciating the gesture, Gala takes a nice long swig of her tea and again exhales cheerily. “Eeyup.” I soon follow suit. The resulting silence, minus Gramp’s snoring from upstairs, is, again, nice. I should come by here more often. With Gleaming Shield so far away in Canterlot, Red Gala is really the only gal pal I have easy access to here in Ponyville. The boys are nice, sure, but it's also nice to be with someone I can relate more closely with on certain experiences...

"..."

“...”

“...”

“... Say… Barb?” I’m suddenly asked out of the blue.

Surprised by the additional vocabulary, even if it was only one word, I turn back to face my big red friend. “Huh? Um… yes, Red?”

The mare’s brow is now tightening into a look of pure concentration.

This surprises me even further.

“Can… c-can ah ask you somethin’... personal?”

Blinking, it’s now my turn to tilt my head in confusion.

“... Yes?” I strain to respond as I wrack my brain trying to think up what she could possibly want to ask me.

With a nod to confirm, Red Gala turns away from me and stares into her remaining glass of tea. The silence between us returns, but now it doesn’t feel nearly as pleasant as it did before. What... what is this about?

After a minute had passed, the pony sets her cup on the table as she at last speaks fully.

“Do you remember the Summer Sun Celebration?”

My blinking increases in speed.

“... Yes,” I answer plainly as I now scramble to try to recall any important details I can gleam from that horrible night. So much happened during that extended 'day' that I'm having a hard time recalling anything specific about it. I place my own cup down too as I attempt to focus my mind.

“And," Red goes on. "do you remember when we went to town hall together?”

“Yes,” again I answer. Oh good, she's being specific. Now I should be able to mentally zoom in on that particular moment and-

“Do you remember what you said to the Mayor, Barb?”

...

… Huh?

The... Mayor?

Mustang?

What I said to him… What... What did I say? I… think I can recall introducing myself to him, but what’s so unusual about th-

And then it clicks.

It clicks like the hammer of a loaded gun.

Oh no.

No no no no.

“Barb,” Red Gala speaks slowly and deliberately, her voice radiating a pure and primal sense of animosity.

As I fearfully turn to face her on the couch, I find myself unable to blame her for such a heated reaction.

I now know what this is all about, and…

“Why in the hay does a little filly like you have to go around and call yourself property for ponies?!”

… it’s about an aspect of my life that I’ve been purposely not thinking about for years.

I am Barbara The Dragoness; Assistant to Apprentice Dusk Shine, Squire to Prince Solaris... and Property of House Shine...

Property of House Shine. It's right there in the title. It's been there since day one, and I don't foresee this detail changing anytime in the near future.

“...”

“... Barb… Please answer me.”

"..."

... I turn away.

“It’s… just a title, Red.”

“Horsefeathers.”

Though I can't see her face now, I still shrink down all the same under what I can only assume was a very disappointed looking glare.

“Barb,” Red continues on, her voice growing ever louder. “That… t-that ain’t right. That ain’t pony!”

“It’s… just a title,” I repeat as I place my claws on my head.

“Barb.”

“Just a title.”

“Barbara!”

“Just-”

With a hoof landing softly on my shoulder, Red Gala gently rotates me until I’m facing her. Now placed in front of her once more, I discover that my assumption that she was glaring was false; she wasn’t doing anything of the sort.

No... she was just looking worried.

She still looks worried, just as she did when I finished talking to her about it at town hall. She was so concerned about saving her brother that she had allowed my excuses at the time to slide, but the concern must have never fully left her thoughts since then...

“Barb,” she again tries to prod, looking at me expectantly.

... This time I don’t turn away.

“It’s… i-it’s just a title,” I parrot, as I have done countless times before. Seeing that Red is about to respond, I quickly add, “B-but there’s a reason for it! It’s… not as bad as you think.”

Red looks unswayed, but she still remains quiet as she encourages me to continue.

“Red…” I begin. “Canterlot… C-canterlot is a very… old fashioned kind of city. Even more so than Ponyville.”

Although she raises an eyebrow at this, Red Gala says nothing.

Taking this as my cue to go on, I do just that. “The capital has been ruled over by the Prince and the descendants of the unicorns who used to raise the sun and moon for centuries! And, because of that, the city has become… er... I-I guess the best word would be... stagnant?

“Ponies up there just aren’t as willing to accept change like the ponies here have! They’re so used to their little social bubbles and their ‘ironclad rules’ that anything that deviates from their ‘perfect’ vision is dangerous! It’s… not normal.”

Red makes to say something.

“B-but most know that’s wrong!” I cut her off before she can comment. “Prince Solaris knows, a-and I'm sure Dusk does too! There are ponies trying to change that image, and to allow more creatures to come and visit the city… but… it’s admittedly a really slow process, Red. A lot of older ponies were taught growing up to fear dragons like me. Some of them even still remember the stories they were told about the attacks on the capital hundreds of years ago.

“So… s-so to make sure that everypony felt safe and sound, and to make sure that all their magic crafting stayed both worry and distraction free, Prince Solaris had to somehow promise his subjects that I wouldn’t be a bother to anypony while I was staying in Canterlot.

“And marking me as 'Property of House Shine' was just how he decided to do it. It really is just a title, Red! Just a title...”

"..."

My friend continues to stare at me, clearly still unconvinced.

“... Really?” she again demands to know, leaning ever closer to me.

Shrinking further under the stink eye, I back up into a pillow. “R-really.”

The stink eye intensifies in strength.

I find myself unable to turn away.

“W...w-w… w-well,” I crack at last, realizing that I’ll be unable to hide the nitty-gritty from her no matter how much I want to. “It… d-does give businesses the right to refuse me service if they want to... But that only happened to me once, haha! Most ponies are cool with me! And… a-and sure there’s a section of Canterlot I'm not allowed to visit because of the stupid Dragon Sneeze Trees unicorns created to ward off invaders, that I have no say in, b-but there’s nothing interesting going on over there anyways! I-I don’t need to see junk like the zoo or the theater or... o-or the museum or the park or... I… I-I…” Sniff “I-I have Dusk! I-I don’t need anything else!! I-I-I-I-”

Glomp

... Despite her injuries, and despite her winces of pain, I swiftly find myself being held tightly in a careful bear hug courtesy of one Red Gala.

"Shhhhhh," the large mare quietly coos to me. She runs a hoof through my spines as she does in a bid to calm my pathetic self down. "Shhhh..."

An equally pathetic sounding hiccup escapes my lips as my cheeks begin to burn bright red with embarrassment. D-damn it, I can easily picture her having done something similar to this with her little brother Apple Buck before. I shouldn't be letting her treat me like this, like such a little kid too... but... b-but it's hard. Her fur is just so... so...

... so gosh darn soft~

“...Barb... Please listen to me." Gala whispers gently as she rocks me in place. "... Ah'm sorry for what ah'm about to tell you. If you ain't got anythin' nice to say you might as well not say anythin' at all... but... well... it's just..."

With an exhaling of her breath, Red steels herself for her next words.

"...Ah don’t particularly like that Dusk Shine fella of yours, little firelight... Reckon ah don't like him at all truthfully, eeyup."

My eyes shoot open from within the embrace thanks to this.

"Ah know that Applejack has taken a real shine to him," Red continues on. "and ah can tell that you care about him a great deal too..."

Her rocking suddenly halts.

"... but ah don't know if that love of yours is all in good health. Ah'm not even real convinced yet that it ain't a one way road, if you catch my drift."

As my eyes begin to narrow, I make to argue this pointedly. "How dare yo-"

"Shhhhhhh" the farmer interrupts me again, now carefully placing a hoof over my lips. "Ah'm so sorry for this, but ah only really feel like talkin' when it's serious. It's tough for me to build up the nerve, so please... please just let me finish my thought first before you go and start rightfully hatin' me for it..."

I make a halfhearted attempt to resist my hold, one where I hover my fist over her injured stomach and debate whether to press the advantage or not...

... but ultimately I decide against it as I limply allow her to go on.

"Ah know that Dusk Shine shouted up a mighty storm when that there Nightterror Nebula varmint took you away from him," Gala confesses as she strokes my spines. "Ah know he did, so ah also know that there's somethin' there between you two... but... well... way ah see it..."

Red Gala's grip on me then tightens slightly as she ruminates, making me feel less like the mighty dragon I am and more like the stuffed teddy bear that I was being treated like all of a sudden. She's not hurting me, but I'm not really comfortable anymore either; neither physically or mentally, if I'm being honest.

"It just don't add up," the concerned pony continues on upon taking a deep breath. "It don't add up one bit.

"All ah've been able to think about ever since ah first heard you say those horrible words is about how if ah were in Dusk's horseshoes, and if somepony or dragon ah cared about was bein' forced to call herself property all honest like for others... well, firelight..."

The mare's eyes then tighten darkly as her next words turn frigid cold.

"There ain't a force in Equestria that would stop me from gettin' that sorta mess righted out all quick-like, cost be darned eeyup. If Dusk really cares for you like you act like he does, then it don't add up to me that you're still considered 'property'! It... i-it just ain't right! It just ain't pony neither..."

Her grip around me noticeably lessens.

"... Not in a very long time, at least..."

To anyone else, these last few words would have fallen on deaf ears and gone on forgotten.

Their dark implication was not lost on me though

To my potential human readers, as much as I don't enjoy bringing this up; Equestria does in fact have a short history with slavery.

Granted the history is several hundred years removed from the current date, but that doesn't change that it happened. It's one of Prince Solaris' lesser known shames, just like Nightterror Nebula, and it's one I'm certain isn't being taught to common ponies. It took me five years to discover what the word for "slavery" even is in Ponish, so it stands to reason that the subject is rather taboo. Neither Mayor Mustang or his helpers seemed to grasp the weight of the title when I reflectively used it to introduce myself to them, and it didn't seem to spark rumors either, so even the idea of one person owning another must be incredibly difficult for current era ponies to grasp. Not even Dusk fully grasps the words and he researches everything under Solaris' sun. The sheer fact that Red Gala of all ponies understands my burden while Dusk and the Major do not is mindboggling...

... I don't want to suggest that the ancient Apple Family might have a few skeletons in their centuries long closet. I truly don't. I wouldn't want to sling such mud at my worst enemies... but I can't deny the evidence I've been given either.

My digging into older, forgotten, and slightly forbidden texts revealed to me that slavery in Equestria stemmed mostly from underground cattle markets that rose up during what was considered the Gloomy Age; the era in which Prince Artemis "mysteriously" disappeared, and where Nightterror Nebula entered legends. Solaris was an inconsolable mess of a ruler on his throne during this age; while most written accounts tend to tiptoe around stating such outright, you can plainly see that the subtext is there. Sanctioned history books like to hype up the "one-and-only" prince's return to excellency, and the heralding of the current Golden Age we live in, as an overnight occurrence; but the misplaced journals left behind by those who actually lived during those hundreds of years paint a different picture for me entirely.

They paint the picture of a Prince who was going through the motions, a kingdom slowly slipping into ruin, and ponies unabashedly exploiting the hard labor of the Cattle Folk to keep themselves afloat during the less than harmonious time.

If you are unfamiliar with the race I just mentioned, please allow me the moment to explain. Cows, sheep, donkeys, and even pigs are part of a larger umbrella tribe known as the Cattle Folk. Each species contains sentient creatures that share much of the same rights and freedoms that ponies enjoy, but not all of their members have the ability to think or speak. Cows and donkeys tend to be the most adept at gaining such abilities over their kin due to their lower tolerance to Equestria's ambient magic. Looking at the details evenly as they are; the majority of unenchanted cattle folk aren't that much more intelligent then their Earth counterparts. Most usually end up living on farms like the Apple Family's where they can be shown love, affection, and given the space they need to live a happy and fulfilling life of grazing and breathing.

That said, many who can talk sometimes choose to live on farms just like their brethren do.

Such a thing is not considered strange in the slightest nowadays, but in the past the opposite was never offered.

Since cattle folk are able to provide popular goods such as milk, wool, and truffles; those who choose to stay on farms get free housing to support them, all payed for via taxes collected by the Canterlot government and distributed through the United Farming Guild of Equestria. Farm dwelling cattle folk also receive a weekly paycheck for their rendered services, a discount on products manufactured with their efforts, and a free scholarship available to any and all of their offspring who decide to leave the program and pursue a different way of life instead.

If that sounds like a lot to you, reader, trust me; it took everycow, everybull, everysheep, everydonkey, everymule, everyoxen, everyboar, and everygoat centuries of battles with both the Guild and the Canterlot Protected Creature Society to gain a fraction of the rights that most take for granted. They deserve every inch they fought for; for everycreature whose voice was silenced and for every family-tree left forgotten. While it's true that these events transpired well before either mine or Red Gala's time, I know that the scars left behind from that kind of massive injustice never truly fade away. The pain can only dull over generations as the future collectively strives to break the common molds that once ensnared us in the past. In understanding this; it's reassuring to see, at least in some small way, that the Apple Family has decided to pass down the knowledge of these old wrongs so that their descendants can learn and grow from it.

I find this highly preferable to burying it in the past like how Prince Solaris has resorted to doing.

His actions at times, especially in circumstances such as these, remind me not of the work of a great leader expertly manipulating events in his favor, but instead the work of a foal embarrassingly trying to hide soiled sheets from his parents.

I don't care what Solaris' Seer Sight may or may not have advised him to do about the truth, I still feel that learning from the past is the only real way one can prevent old sins from rising up again in the modern time. Though I'm personally striving to strikeout and become a new person, all while slowly learning to let go of certain aspects of my deceased self, the mistakes I made up to this point are what ultimately made me who I am today. Without them I am nothing.

Half the reason why I'm still writing this book is to make sure that the Barbara who writes this tale's final page is a wholly free Barbara who will never forget this undeniable truth for as long as she lives.

The Poisoned Barb is, and shall always be, me.

"... All ah'm tryin' to say, Barb," Red Gala at last releases the hoof she had held against my mouth. "Is that ah'm your friend, not Dusk's, and as your friend ah just wanted to know that somepony, anypony in your life cared about you the same way a family is supposed to. That's all.”

"T-that's really none of your business, Red Gala," I deflect rather poorly once I'm given back my ability to speak. "We're not that close of friends yet..."

"Hehe, nice try," she laughs in response, seeing plainly through my attempt to weasel my way out of this talk. "You had mah back when ah wanted to storm the Everfree for Applejack, and you can't deny that ah would have had yours too. We were just a couple of ladies willin' to ride or die for our dumb brothers... If that don't make a pony and a dragon best friends that ah honestly don't know what does! Now...

"... as your friend, little firelight," Red emphasizes forcefully as she now rubs her cheek against my forehead. "If you're hurtin' inside, than this right old mess is mah business now too. Ah won't take anymore arguin'."